


This Is New

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Minor Injuries, Minor Original Character(s), Serious Injuries, Trans Female Pidge | Katie Holt, neither ship is any more than mentioned, nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-09-02 07:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 27,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8658115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: Matt Holt had heard of Voltron, and after hearing that one of the Paladins of Voltron was captured by the Galra, he decides to break him out.What follows is an irritatingly long journey to help the Paladin find his friends and reunite Matt with his family.





	1. Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Matt escaped and began working to find Earth's location and to sabotage the Galra, based heavily on [this headcanon post (by me. I submitted it.)](http://voltronheadcanons.tumblr.com/post/149586428425/if-matt-is-the-assassin-guythat-will-be-awesome). Different in that Matt is most likely not the assassin person, so in this story they are two entirely different people.

It was a low rumble of chatter as the masked individual entered the...bar? Pub?

Whatever it was called, it wasn't exactly loud, but it wasn't silent. These kind of places never were. Still, it was a calm place. The planet was one of the few safe places to be. Refugees from nearby invaded planets could remain safe on this planet. A thriving market had sprung up, trading wares from many galaxies. No alien looked out of place, simply because the variety was extraordinary.

His ship had reported that the oxygen levels were survivable, so he carefully removed his mask, ordering a drink.

He quickly paid, taking a sip and barely disguising his cringe. It was an...acquired taste, but the only drink he reliably could handle. While it was poisonous for many other individuals he had met before, the ship's scanners had concluded it wasn't poisonous to him. However, since he couldn't take each drink this place offered and walk the mile required to get it scanned, then come back to decide whether to pay for it or not, he stuck to this disgusting drink, that he had nicknamed skunk-water.

He took another sip of the skunk-water before asking the bartender (?), "So, is there any news?"

The alien behind the bar shrugged, saying, "Many are saying one of the Voltron Paladins have been captured."

"You seem surprisingly calm about that."

"Voltron was never going to save the universe," they responded. "The Galra have too much power. No force, no matter how great, can defeat the empire alone. Voltron returned too late to truly save anyone."

"Stop being such a downer, Carsol," another alien said from the bar. "Voltron is the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"But without all the Paladins, it is useless," Carsol reminded them.

He finished his skunk-water, setting the glass down and simply stating, "Thank you." He walked out without looking back, his mind quickly coming up with a plan.

* * *

Matthew Austen Holt had been the prisoner of the Galra for six months before he was broken out by a group of rebels while being transferred to a prison.

He was originally going to be sent to a work camp, hopefully the same one his father was sent to, but he had hacked a Galra bot and been deemed too dangerous to send to a work camp, and was eventually sent to a higher security prison.

If he had known hacking one of those dumb bots would separate him even more from his father, he would have done more than have it dance the Macarena.

He was in his way there when the rebel group broke him out in a cloud of smoke.

They dropped him off at a refugee planet. He was safe.

But his dad was still out there.

So he talked to people, pleaded his case, appealed to other former prisoners, and eventually was given a ship, some armor/space suit, and a sword. With that, he was on his way.

Over the next several months, he began the thankless task of infiltrating smaller Galra ships and bases. As he continued, he was forced to figure out skills as he went along. Fighting was a new experience, especially since his exposure to it had been limited, and he quickly learned that avoiding it wasn't going to happen. He also learned that autopilot couldn't avoid fire from other ships, forcing him to figure out flying to avoid dying.

Many planets had refugees or citizens willing to educate him. A former alien matriarch whose child had been freed by Matt taught him sword fighting. A former soldier from a lost warrior civilization taught him strategy and how to care for his sword. A tech genius with the ability to communicate with technology taught him the basics of flying his ship.

He was a fast learner, and his many journeys into Galra territory improved his skills. He was soon able to infiltrate and download files with minimal encounters.

He began modifying his suit. He took apart the arm of a Galra droid, using parts from it to modify one of the hands of his suit to be able to activate Galra technology. His mask gained a universal translator to help him read various languages of different civilizations, which were already verbally translated due to technology from the long dead Alteans. He just had to modify a broken translator from a crashed Galra ship and boom, a usually accurate translator!

Usually was a strong word...as was accurate...it could recognize the language and he could go check with someone who actually wrote with it. It might give him a general idea if he was lucky, but...yeah....

It wasn't long after all these developments that Matt upped his game. Simple searching through the systems for his father's prison records became hacking and sabotage. He quickly learned how to exploit flaws in the ships. He fucked with computers, making any messages sent out translate through ten different alien languages before translating back to Galran.

He never lost track of his goal, but fucking with the assholes who had held him captive for a long time was a good way to make sure his failed attempts to find his dad were never wasted.

Matt Holt also spent much time in the safe places, though those could be few and far between, for food and rest. That was how, over six months after escaping, he heard of Voltron.

Voltron was apparently a super weapon operated by five Paladins. It was used to defend the universe until the Alteans, who created it, were destroyed by the Galra over ten thousand years ago. It was largely thought that it had been destroyed too, until it liberated a Balmera, whatever that was, and its inhabitants.

There were inconsistencies with each story. Some said the Paladins, who operated it, were led by a former prisoner who escaped the Galra. Others said it was the princess of the long extinct Alteans. Many said they were kind and helpful, and many also said they were ruthless and fearsome.

There was always one consistency though: They were very much enemies of the Galra.

Having allies out there made Matt feel like his work was actually doing something, even if he never came across them. He began using false alarms, scaring Galra ships into thinking Voltron was attacking just long enough to escape. It was an interesting tactic, and he made sure to use it rarely enough so they would always fall for it.

But he knew as well as anyone that Voltron needed five Paladins. If one was captured...he had a lot of work to do.

He sure as heck wasn't going to let the Galra keep one of the greatest threats to their power for long.

* * *

Matt spent a week getting shit together. The coordinates of where the Paladin had been taken were on a ship nearby, though he made sure to be careful and avoid drawing much attention to himself. On and off, no sabotage. He didn't have the time.

He went to another market, purchasing some medical supplies and food. He doubted that the Paladin had gone down without a fight, and figured medical supplies were necessary. He chose some food that was generally edible by most species, because Galran prison food sucked. He also purchased an alien device that seemed to be a taser.

He tinkered with his suit, making sure his glove functioned, and began fixing up his other glove to give it the taser function without getting shocked himself. It took a couple of tries, but eventually both gloves were good to go.

Matt was ready to kick ass.

It took a few days to get there, but soon Matt was ready. Sword sheathed, mask on, satchel on his shoulder, and plan in mind, he got on board.

It was even worse than he thought it would be.

There were guards everywhere. While it was safe to knock out one or two, getting every single guard would call unwanted attention to himself. He hid carefully, timing sprints to his next hiding place carefully, until he arrived at the cell.

He pressed his hand against the panel, his glove activating the door and opening it.

There was no one inside.

Fuck.

He made his way to the main computers, shocking the guard there to knock him out, and found the communication feed to connect his mask to.

"Is the Paladin in the lab?" a voice said through the speakers in his mask. It was a creepy, feminine voice.

"Yes ma'am," another voice responded. "He is ready when you are, Haggar."

"I will be down in a moment. I can't wait to make his suffer for what he did to our emperor."

Matt disconnected, quickly downloading schematics of the ship.

Every prisoner knew that Haggar and labs combined was an experience that would not end well for the poor soul taken. Matt had heard even their guards speak of watching their steps, to avoid being the one put under Haggar and the Druids' knives.

If the situation wasn't getting more dire by the minute, he'd joke about how that sounded like a band name.

He headed off for the lab, cursing every time he was forced to hide. The longer it took him to get there, the chance of Haggar beating him.

He took only a short detour to knock out a guard and grab the items the Paladin had been arrested with, stuffing them in his satchel before getting back on track.

He arrived at the lab and got in, finding two guards on either side of the individual he had arrived to get.

It was a short fight, largely thanks to his updated glove. He dragged the guards behind the table before investigating the Paladin.

They were already drugged, which meant Matt's job was even harder now. He quietly picked them up, silently thanking god that they weren't too heavy, though still heavy enough to be an issue.

Dragging a taller, heavier person out of a ship filled with guards was hell, forcing him to duck into rooms and shock many guards unconscious. He refused to let himself regret this decision, instead focus on getting to his ship.

He was nearly out when the alarms went off.

"New record," he remarked, climbing into his ship and strapping the Paladin into the copilot seat. The chaos coming wasn't good to experience unbuckled.

Taking a deep breath, Matt checked one last time at the newly rescued prisoner before flying out of safety.

This was not going to be fun.


	2. Awakening (Also, WHAT THE FUCK!!!!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt is a terrible pilot and no one is sure how he has survived so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is happening.

Matt was possibly the worst pilot in existence.

Mainly because he had only a little experience with flying, and it all was from a few lessons and winging it. Learning to pilot should honestly never involve winging it.

He honestly didn't know how he had survived this long. Probably pure willpower. He'd picked up fighting okay and had gotten decent training, he only got better at infiltration and sabotage, but fucking flying was still hell for him.

He wasn't sure if Shiro would laugh at him or be disappointed. Probably both.

It honestly hurt to much too think about that.

Either way, he couldn't rely on autopilot when Galra ships were fucking shooting at him, because autopilot couldn't dodge. This meant that he had to fucking maneuver through laser fire basically flying by the seat of his pants.

That situation was brought up to eleven this time.

Saving one of the number one enemies of the Galra meant getting all stops pulled out to stop you. Matt was constantly forced to realize how much he had underestimated things for this rescue mission.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuuuuuck!" He swerved to the right. "Fuck everything right now! Fucking piece-of-shit Galra can go suck a dick!"

Yep, Shiro would be so disappointed in him. And also Katie. She would too.

He occasionally glanced back at the unconscious Paladin, whose limbs were flailing around as Matt made sharp turns.

"Sorry," he muttered, despite the Paladin being unconscious.

He wished this ship had weapons. All it had was its speed, which was nearly useless at the hands of Matt unless he went in a straight line.

His only hope was to outrun the Galra and steer away from his path before they could catch back up. He'd also have to go to radio silence to keep them from locating him after that.

He began speeding away, waiting until his ship stopped beeping a warning before slowing down and landing his ship in the deep crater of an atmosphere-less moon, shutting down as many systems as he could afford and remaining silent.

The Galra ships whizzed by, but Matt didn't move until he saw them whirl around back. These ships were small, not meant for deep space travel, and would have to return to the main ship.

With no sign of the ships returning, he turned everything back on and switched to autopilot, plugging in the coordinates for a free planet nearby that welcomed refugees. While he couldn't see anything obviously wrong with the Paladin's health, he hadn't scanned him yet for anything internal.

He located the ship's scanner, getting a quick scan of the Paladin to see the results.

He blinked, scanning again to make sure the results were correct.

The Paladin wasn't too seriously injured, though the drugs wouldn't properly be out of their system for about twenty-four hours, give or take. They didn't have any broken bones, though they had a thankfully minor burns from laser guns that Matt could easily handle. He had luckily not gotten any infections from his open wounds, probably because Galra ships were almost impossibly sterile. Not the surprising part.

That part was that the Paladin's species was identified as the same as his. Whoever this was, they were also human.

He had found another human. A human that happened to be a Paladin of Voltron. Holy shit.

He went over the results one last time, just to check for anything he missed, and that was when he found the age range.

_15-18 Earth years old._

This person was practically a kid, as much as ten years Matt's junior. A fucking teenager. They wouldn't even be farther than a cadet at the Garrison.

How the fuck did they get so far from Earth? Were the other Paladins as young as they were? Younger?

Did this kid's parents know where they were, or that they were alive?

He thought often about his mom and Katie, about how worried they must have been, and how they had mourned his loss. But this was a fucking teenager. Matt was at least an adult.

To be fair though, he couldn't have been one of the saviors of the universe at that age. He could barely figure out instant ramen.

He shook off those thoughts. He could debate with himself on the ethics of child soldiers later. Right now he needed to focus on getting the wounds treated and dressed and figuring out his plan for when they woke up.

* * *

When he arrived on a refugee planet, the Paladin was still unconscious. They probably had only a while left unconscious before waking up, and would probably loopy for a while after that. Better he rest at a place meant for recovery than a dirty ship.

Matt dropped the Paladin off at the hospital on the planet before heading off for food and drink. He made the decision to just buy a bunch of different drinks and scan them rather than force the Paladin to drink skunk-water when they woke up. It was an interesting shopping trip, and Matt purchased more than necessary in case things took longer than he thought.

He returned to the hospital to be informed that the Paladin had awakened for a little while, extremely out of it, before falling back asleep. Matt dropped off the food before heading to his ship to scan the various drinks.

Two hours later, he had about five safe drinks out of the original twenty. To be fair, some only were as toxic as alcohol, but Matt wasn't going to have space alcohol aboard his ship, especially now that there was someone underage on board.

Now all he had to do was wait.

* * *

The Paladin woke up twice loopy that day. Despite this, Matt managed to get his name.

Lance, as the teenager introduced himself, called him Creepy Mask Guy the first time, prompting him to take off the mask. The second time he called Matt Pidge, rambling on about how he couldn't wait to get back to the others and making fun of a guy named Keith's mullet.

Matt was wondering why he was being confused for person with such a weird name, but whatever.

It was the next day, at least on this planet, when Matt was woken up being poked on his shoulder.

He blinked, looking at the fully awake Lance poking him.

"Good. You're up."

"Where the hell did you come from?"

"Uh, not sure what you mean?"

"You're Matt Holt!" Lance shouted, pointing at him.

Matt nodded, saying, "Yeah. And your name is Lance apparently."

"But, you were imprisoned by the Galra!"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get out?"

"I was rescued."

Lance looked about to explode from surprise.

Matt chose this time to change the subject, in case Lance brought the subject to someone who hadn't been saved.

"Anyway, I managed to get the stuff you were captured with, so you won't have to stay in the prisoner outfits. They aren't fun to spend lots of time in. There is also this," Matt held up a blue and white thing with a black handle, "I actually can't figure out what this is?"

"My bayard!" Lance snatched it from Matt's grasp, looking over it. "Thank god. I don't know what I'd do without this."

Matt merely shrugged at the reaction, saying, "The Galra will be looking for you, especially in my ship, so we'll have to be careful to dodge Galra ships, which is really hard. Do you have any way of contacting the other Paladins?"

"...No..." he admitted. "I left my helmet and uniform when I left, so I can't contact them. They probably aren't looking for me anyway."

"Okay, one last question," Matt told him.

"All ears."

Matt took a deep breath. "Where the hell are your parents?! You can't be any older than eighteen! Do they even know where you are?"

Lance blinked, then cracked up.

"I'm being serious? What-"

"Dude, you are the first person to ask that in a while," Lance admitted, snorting. "Hey, at least one of the Paladins is legally an adult, right?"

"Only one?!"

"Okay, so that didn't help."

"No! No it didn't!"

The Paladins of Voltron were four kids and one adult. The fate of the universe was resting on the shoulders of _children_. Motherfucking (okay maybe not the best adjective right now) children!

What the fuck was his life?

"How old are you?" Matt asked.

"Seventeen."

"Okay. How old is the youngest?"

"Uh...fourteen?" Lance smiled sheepishly, looking a bit nervous at Matt's shocked face. Which he should be, because Matt was fairly certain he was going to explode from how many truth bombs were being dropped right in that fucking moment.

"You have a fourteen year old fighting the Galra?! What the fuck is going on here?! Who the fuck recruited you?!" Okay, he was overreacting maybe...no, child soldiers hadn't become less fucked up, even thinking about it reasonably.

"Yeah, that's not actually the worst part," Lance admitted, looking a little terrified as he admitted this. Matt barely noticed in his state of shock and anger.

Matt didn't think it could actually get worse.

"Uh, she also happens to be...your sister?"

Never-fucking-mind, because it just fucking did.

"WHAT?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both chapters have now been edited to work with season two. I'll get on the third chapter as soon as possible.


	3. A Much Needed Explanation (and also give this kid a confidence boost)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tells Matt how he got to this point. Also, Matt is very concerned about Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The previous chapters have been edited to fit with season two. If you don't want to go back and reread the minor changes, basically Matt is looking for his father rather than the coordinates to Earth, and Lance wasn't captured from the mermaid planet but for a reason explained in this.

Matt went outside the shelter to cool off for a good twenty minutes.

His baby sister was a child soldier in a war against the people who captured him over a year ago. She was one of the universe's only hopes against an empire that had claimed nearly all of it.

His baby sister helped kill Zarkon.

He was terrified, and furious, and proud as fuck. His little sister, Katie Jane Holt, had killed the motherfucking dictator of nearly the entire universe. He was as proud as he was pissed.

He went back in, sat back down, and told Lance, "Tell me everything."

* * *

The story was just one long rollercoaster of emotions. From learning Katie had gone back in the closet to find him and Dad and that Shiro was alive, all the way to learning Shiro had vanished, no one knew if he was alive, and the reason Lance was separated from them in the first place.

"Allura was bonded with the Blue Lion, the Red Lion outright refused me...It made sense for me to leave so I wouldn't be a liability. So I thought I'd do something useful. I flew out to a nearby Galra ship, snuck in, and attacked it. Managed to absolutely destroy the computer systems and cause a lot of chaos before they captured me. Then they shipped me off to be taken to Haggar, and here we are."

Matt blinked, shaking his head, and muttered, "If Shiro died, I'm going to kill him." Then he passed Lance some food, saying, "We're getting you back to Voltron."

"But-"

"Sorry, no buts," Matt answered. "They already lost one friend. They are probably terrified that you are gone. I know Katie, and she is probably trying desperately to find you."

"I doubt it," Lance answered, deflated.

"If you don't believe they want you back, then you at least have to go with me," Matt proposed. "I have to go give Katie like fifty hugs and compare notes with her about Dad's location. And I'll be damned if I don't help you guys find Shiro."

It was his fault Shiro spent a year alone in the gladiator ring. Shiro saved his life. He was going to return the favor.

"I'm not going to stop you?" Lance asked.

"Nope. Now, you should be good to go. I'm going to go ahead and apologize before we get on my ship."

"Huh? Why?"

* * *

"Who on Earth let you fly a fucking ship!" Lance shouted.

"No one."

"Move over."

Matt willingly let Lance took over and the ship was soon under control, causing both to breathe a sigh of relief.

"How have you survived so long?"

"Autopilot and dumb luck," Matt answered. "I got a couple of lessons, but that wasn't enough to make me anywhere near the level of a Garrison cadet, much less Shiro."

"Good thing you have a Garrison cadet," Lance remarked. "Not so good that I wasn't the best. Bottom of fighter class."

"That's actually fairly impressive. The top eight pilots are chosen for fighter class, if I remember right."

"I only got in because Keith dropped out."

"That still means you were at the top of your class as a cargo pilot. That puts you leagues ahead of some adults. And that's still puts you as one of the top ten pilots in the Garrison's program."

"Not good enough."

Matt frowned. Jeez, this kid really didn't think that highly of himself, did he? Who pushed into his brain that being one of the top ten pilots in the Garrison wasn't good enough? Was it Iverson?

Iverson could go fuck himself.

He didn't know what to do. Katie's insecurities had never been about her skills. She had known she was damn good at what she did. Her insecurities were about her identity and being recognized as who she was. And those were justified, because people would try to invalidate her identity if she didn't act stereotypically feminine. Shiro was worried about being looked up to and seen as a leader, but not because of his skills. Matt himself had always been more worried about how he looked than what he was good at.

He wasn't used to someone being unable to recognize their own talents, like Lance. Brand new territory here.

He would have to discuss this with someone once they found Voltron.

* * *

Lance eventually switched to autopilot, asking, "Do you have anything to drink?"

Matt tossed him one of the drinks, saying, "I can't account for the taste, but the scanners concluded it isn't toxic to humans."

Lance took a sip and made a face. "Weird."

"Better than skunk water, I hope."

"Better than nunvill too."

"The fuck is nunvill?" 

"An Altean drink," Lance explained. "Coran really digs it, but I personally think it tastes like feet. Mostly we eat goo though."

"Goo? That sounds disgusting."

"It is."

There was an awkward period of silence before Matt asked, "How was Shiro, when you found him?"

Lance took a sip before explaining, "He...He had white hair, where that weird tuft of anime hair was. I think he had a head wound and the hair grew white over it. There was a scar across the bridge of his nose, just under his eyes. And, his right arm..." He looked at Matt hesitantly, and Matt gestured for him to continue. "It was gone. We don't know if he lost it in battle or of Haggar removed it when she began experimenting on him, but it was replaced with this prosthetic. We didn't ask him about it. If he even remembered how he lost it, I don't think he would have wanted to tell. It was fused to his arm, so I don't think he could remove it if he wanted to. The fact that it was weaponized indicated that Haggar probably planned to make him into a weapon for the Galra."

Matt nodded with understanding, ignoring the rush of thoughts about how this was all his fault, that Shiro wouldn't have had to be alone if he hadn't been a coward.

"Did he remember how he saved my life?" Matt asked.

"Not for a while. He told Pidge what happened once he did, but not the rest of us. All we heard was that he managed to get you out of the gladiator battles and hopefully transferred to the same work camp as your dad."

Matt nodded in understanding. He probably didn't want the others to hear about having to injure Matt to save his life.

"He'll be glad to know you're okay," Lance added, in a reassuring tone. "We could all tell he missed you."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

Matt was sleeping when he was woken by a beep.

"Wha's that?" Lance mumbled, still half-asleep.

Matt looked at the screen and mumbled, "Distress signal. Someone's ship crashed on this moon nearby."

Lance snapped awake at that.

"That's a good way to get Voltron's attention!" he shouted, causing Matt to wince. "Allura monitors distress beacons. If we leave a trail of deactivated beacons-"

"-She'll realize that someone is saving those people and investigate," Matt caught on, his face lighting up. "That's a great idea!"

Lance slid into the pilot's seat, declaring, "Let's go help out then!"

With that, they headed towards the moon.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some extra feels, add a large, heaping tablespoon of Lance's insecurities, and a pinch of Matt Holt brand survivor's guilt. Whoops.


	4. These Two Again?! (Uh, who exactly?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is fucking pissed and Matt is confused.

"Okay, this doesn't look like a crash to me."

"What makes you say that?" Lance asked, looking over.

Matt gestured to his screen, asking, "Have you ever been in a crash so bad, the ship stopped existing?"

"Okay, that's an excellent point. How did they manage to set up a distress beacon then?"

"This moon has signs of a previous civilization, though all indications show it hasn't been inhabited in a long time. My best guess is that the distress beacon was left behind and the people stranded here managed to get it up and running again to hail for help." Matt looked at diagnostics and added, "The atmosphere isn't toxic and the pressure is fine, though we should get you a suit some time in the future. Even if I had a spare suit, it wouldn't fit you. You're too tall. Gravity is a little lower than on Earth but not an incredible amount."

"Alright, should we land?"

"Yeah, we should be good."

Lance carefully landed the ship near the beacon and gave the thumbs up.

Matt grabbed his helmet, telling Lance, "Put your Bayard in your jacket, just in case." Lance grabbed the weapon and tucked it into his jacket before the two left the ship.

Next to the beacon were two aliens and a robot, looking relieved for the rescue.

That was, until they saw Lance.

"You!" Lance shouted, suddenly angry. Matt blinked, confused.

One alien, a yellow one with magenta eyes, sighed. "I knew it. We think we're rescued and the one guy with the most against us happens to find us."

"We deserve it at this point," the other alien, a purple one with a hat, noted, his tone bland and unamused.

"Uh, what's going on?" Matt asked, confused.

"These guys stole the Blue Lion and tried to turn it over to the Galra Empire after tricking us into helping them!" Lance shouted, pointing accusing finger.

Matt blinked and he looked at the two aliens. "How did they even get your lion in the first place. It doesn't even look like they have a ship?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lance answered, crossing his arms and scowling at the stranded aliens.

"We're sorry about before," the first alien explained, "and this time we do actually need your help!"

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"Our ship was stolen by a guy who paid us to bring him here. When we arrived, he ejected us and made off with our ship and the money." The second alien winced, immediately realizing the opening.

"Wow, it must really suck to have your ship stolen by people you thought you could trust," Lance noted sarcastically. "Honestly, it must really hurt."

Matt looked over the three before looking at Lance. He considered his options before saying.

"There is a refugee planet nearby," Matt explained. "I can't help you get your ship back, but you can probably look to see if your ship or its contents were sold there. If you can't get it back, you can probably get transport to wherever you need to go. Since Lance has made me aware that you three aren't the most trustworthy, you three will sit in the back and not touch anything. Clear?"

"We understand," the second alien promised. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'm Matt, by the way."

"I'm Nyma, and he's Rolo," the yellow alien introduced. "The robot is Beezer."

"Alright, just shut off the beacon and we'll be off."

* * *

Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer sat in the back of the ship, silent. Lance eventually put the ship on autopilot with Matt inputting the coordinates to the rebel ship, simply to keep an eye on them.

"Why aren't you with the rest of Voltron?" Nyma eventually asked.

Lance flinched, clearly not ready, and answered, "They didn't need me anymore."

"Huh, I figured they'd need all the Paladins more than ever now that Prince Lotor has taken power," Rolo noted.

"Who?" Matt asked, confused.

"Zarkon's son," Nyma answered. "He recently took power. According to what we've heard, he is more active than his father, and he's got it out for Voltron."

Lance and Matt looked at each other, concerned. With Shiro gone, things were more difficult. But with Lance gone...this wasn't good.

"Do you have any clue where Voltron is?" Matt asked, concerned.

"Last we heard of Voltron was Zarkon's death," Rolo said. "It was pretty impressive to hear. Almost everyone thought he would never be defeated. Thanks, by the way."

"So you haven't heard anything?" Matt asked.

Nyma shook her head. "Voltron hasn't had any major battles or sightings since news got out of Zarkon's death. Except for a Paladin being captured. That must have been Lance."

Matt sighed. "The first place Voltron will go is the ship I rescued you from."

"Then they've probably already found out I'm not there, since they have access to wormholes. Meaning they think I'm either dead or I escaped by myself. They'd have no reason to think I was rescued. Since no escape pods were released, they'll probably assume I was killed."

"So we'll have to stick with the original plan and hope they notice us."

Nyma and Rolo looked at the two of them with confusion.

Matt turned to them, asking, "Can you two spread around that the Blue Paladin is out and looking for Voltron? Something so Voltron doesn't think Lance is dead?"

"Sure," Rolo answered with a nod. "We do kind of owe you one for the ride."

"Thanks. Lance, we getting close to that planet?" 

"Yeah, just a few more ticks and we'll be in orbit."

"What the fuck is a tick?"

"Uh...never mind."

* * *

Lance refused to leave the pilot seat when they landed, still distrustful of them, so Matt escorted all three out alone.

"Thank you for your help," Rolo observed, holding out a hand to shake. "We'll let people know about Lance."

"Thanks. I hope you guys find your ship. Good luck out there."

"You too."

He waved them off and headed back into the ship, sitting in his seat. Lance looked emotionally exhausted.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Alright, so let's get going. Got to find another beacon to respond to and all that."

Matt frowned, but didn't push it. Lance was just a kid, who had a long day. He deserved some rest right now.

"Just get us going and then you are going to get some rest," Matt told him. "I'll wake you if we need to go off autopilot, but you need rest. I doubt you've been getting the proper amount of sleep you need."

"But you've gotten even less sleep-"

"Lance, I'm an adult. Specifically an adult used to a sporadic sleeping schedule. You need the sleep more than I do. I promise I will wake you up if something happens, okay?"

Lance looked about to argue, but instead sighed and nodded.

* * *

Matt was bored.

This wasn't an uncommon thing. His ship couldn't go places instantly, and space was mostly empty. His only company needed sleep so he sure as hell wouldn't disturb him.

He began humming, spinning around in his chair.

" _I can't help it if I make a scene_ ," he began singing. " _Stepping out of my hot pink limousine. I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic. When I pose, they scream and when I joke, they laugh._

" _I've got a pair of eyes they're getting lost in. They're hypnotized by my way of walking. I got 'em dazzled like a stage magician. When I point, they look and when I talk, they listen. Well..._ "

He heard Lance stir and looked back at the teen. Lance merely turned over and settled down again, causing Matt to sigh with relief. He'd have to keep the volume down.

" _Everybody needs a friend, and I've got you and you and you. So many I can't even name them. Can you blame me? I'm too famous!_ "

Lance was still out. Good. He had been pushing it with that last line.

" _Haven't you noticed that I'm a star? I'm coming into view as the world is turning. Haven't you noticed I've made it this far. Now everyone can see me burning. Now everyone can see me burning. Now everyone can see me burning._ "

He laughed once he was done. It was a fun song to sing. He remembered getting caught singing it by Shiro, who raised an amused eyebrow. He merely grinned and continued singing, dancing around Shiro without a care in the world, causing him to laugh at his antics. Making Shiro laugh was always fun.

He promised to show _Steven Universe_ to Shiro after they returned from Kerberos. And now Shiro could be dead.

The laughter from singing the song was gone.

He looked out the window sadly, staring at the space he had wanted to explore since he was a child. Here he was, so far from home that he couldn't see Earth's sun if he tried. Funny, how he had spent his entire life wanting to leave Earth and meet aliens, and when he was where he always dreamed he'd be, all he wanted was to go home and eat his dad's peanut butter cookies with Katie and try and make Shiro laugh by singing cheesy pop songs and dancing. 

" _Here am I floating round my tin can, far above the Moon_ ," Matt sang sadly, feeling more homesick than he had in a while. " _Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats KiannaCat. You called it! ~~My creativity has yet to return from the war.~~
> 
> Songs in this chapter are "Haven't You Noticed (That I'm A Star)" by Rebecca Sugar and "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.
> 
> ~~Just imagine Matt singing the first song while Shiro laughs at what a nerd he is.~~


	5. Rescue Mission Number Two (Hopefully with less Druids)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Lance are asked to rescue the princess of the next planet they arrive on

Lance was still asleep, several approximate hours later, when the telltale beep went off.

Matt shook him awake, saying, "Up and at 'em, Lance. We've got a distress beacon."

Lance yawned as he sat up, mumbling about his beauty regimen before sitting in the pilot seat and asking, "So, planet?"

"The planet is Daxus," Matt began, looking on his screen. "The climate is moderate, though a bit on the cool side so your jacket should suffice. According to the ship's analysis, the atmosphere is safe for us, though we really should get you a suit soon. The people here are the Daxi, and they are tall creatures with varying shades of dark fur, from black to colors from dark red to dark purple. The Galra here are stationed a couple of miles from the distress beacon, so make sure to have a discreet landing."

"Got it."

The ship landed next to the beacon, and Lance slipped his bayard into his jacket before the two exited the ship.

They were quickly surrounded by seven foot tall creatures with guns.

"Who are you?!" shouted the leader of the group threatening them.

"We were responding to your distress call," Matt explained calmly. "I'm Matt Holt, and this is Lance, the Blue Paladin of Voltron."

"And I'm Emperor Zarkon," another Daxi shouted sarcastically, and the others growled. Right, without Paladin armor or his lion, there was no real way to confirm Lance was the Blue Paladin.

Lance carefully removed his bayard from his jacket, saying, "Does this work as proof?"

The leader of the group gestured for another to approach. They sniffed the bayard closely, eyes narrowing, and Matt wondered if this would go okay. The Daxi investigating barked something in another language to the leader.

For a moment, they kept the guns trained on them, and Matt panicked in the back of his mind. Then the leader's gun lowered, and he bowed respectfully.

"Forgive us, Paladin," they calmly explained. "We have been on edge since the Galra took our planet. We shall escort you to our queen. She will tell you what happened."

Matt sighed with relief and the two followed the group.

"I am Delan," the leader introduced. "I use female pronouns please. I lead the remainder of the queen's guard, all that is left of our soldiers. The rest were killed when the Galra Empire invaded."

"I'm sorry," Matt noted respectfully. "It must have been hard."

"They died with honor, defending our people for as long as they could," Delan assured them. "We survived due to our queen being forced to surrender and claiming we were just servants. Our duties are now to protect what is left of our people."

"I wish we could have helped sooner." Lance's head was bowed in shame.

Delan shook her head. "We do not fool ourselves thinking that our plight is worse than the others. For every Daxi killed by the Galra, there has been a planet liberated by Voltron. We have had the Galra here for barely a year, while many planets have those who've never experienced freedom. We recognize we are not a priority and have been patient."

She then looked at Lance and added, "We have heard of how you saved Queen Luxia's people from the Baku, Blue Paladin. We are honored to have the hero of her people with us today."

Lance looked surprised, blinking with amazement. Matt merely grinned at him. Looked like someone recognized Lance's capabilities.

They were led to a building with white walls, and through the halls to a chamber. In the center was a simple chair with a table, where a Daxi with midnight blue fur sat, reading something on a holo-screen.

Delan and the other guards got on one knee, and Matt and Lance followed suit.

"Your majesty, our distress call was heeded by a Paladin of Voltron and his companion."

The queen looked up from her screen and nodded, causing her guard to stand up. She motioned for Lance to speak.

"Your majesty, I'm Lance, the Blue Paladin of Voltron. This is Matt Holt, a former prisoner of the Galra and brother of the Green Paladin. We hoped to help you with your situation with the Galra."

"Ah yes, I've heard of you," the queen observed. "There is no need for formalities. You are one of the ones who killed Zarkon. I consider you an equal. As for Holt, it is an honor to meet a survivor of the Galra."

"Thank you," Matt and Lance answered simultaneously.

"The Galra have been taking our resources," the queen explained, "leaving the Daxi starving and unable to trade. We have the firepower to fight back, of course, but we do not risk it. The Galra have my daughter prisoner, threatening to kill her if we attempt to rebel. If you can safely retrieve my daughter and bring her back here, we will be able destroy the Galra base here and liberate our planet."

Matt and Lance looked at each other, than nodded with matching determined looks.

"We'll get her out of there," Matt promised.

The queen smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Delan can get you close to the base, but then you are on your own. If she is detected, they will kill my daughter, so we can't help you once you are too close. Delan, can you transport these two as close as you can?"

"Of course, your m-"

"And cut it out with the formalities, please?"

Delan gave an exasperated smile. "Alright, Cala."

* * *

The transport ship was rather tiny, which Matt supposed was the point. Best to be small and barely noticeable.

"So, you and the queen, huh?" Lance asked, a smirk on his face. Matt facepalmed.

"That is absolutely none of your business, Blue Paladin," Delan answered, and Matt could immediately see through it.

"Forgive him. On my planet he is not quite an adult."

"Rude."

"Queen Cala is a wonderful individual, but her priorities are with what is left of the Daxi and my duties are to protect her. Nothing more."

Lance nodded with understanding. "Right. Sorry."

"Thank you."

The transport ship stopped several yards from the base, hidden by some extremely tall flora, and Matt and Lance were let out.

"The princess will likely have some heavy security around her," Delan reminded them. "You will have to work around quite a bit of Galra guards."

"We've got this, Delan," Matt promised. "We'll get her out."

"Thank you."

With that, the door closed and the transport ship went back through the flora, out of sight.

"So, what's the plan?" Lance asked, raising an eyebrow.

Matt grinned.

"We wing it."

* * *

The two looked around the base before finding their entrance, where Galra transports of resources were entering the base. It took moments for them to hide on one and ride inside.

Lance removed his bayard from his jacket and Matt blinked with surprise as it transformed into a gun.

"Altean technology is the shit," Lance remarked in response.

Matt nodded in agreement, before saying, "Let's go."

The two crept through the halls, dodging bots as they passed and keeping an eye out for any living guards.

They reached a room, which Matt opened with his modified glove, surprising Lance.

"What, did you think I wasn't prepared. Galra tech in my glove makes a good key."

"Alright, that's pretty cool," Lance agreed.

The two went inside and Matt activated the computer. He looked through quickly.

"Alright, so the princess is kept in a base near the center, with two guards there at all times. Every two vargas, whatever that is, a Galra guard goes inside to check on her. She's going to be checked on in about eighty ticks...I don't know what those are."

"There are about twenty vargas in a quintant, which is roughly a day," Lance answered. "Ticks are about two seconds."

"I wonder why she needs so much maintenance. Either way, we should go in just after her next check up, which will hopefully give us two vargas until her disappearance is detected. You are going to have to explain this time system to me, Lance, because I am completely lost." Matt plugged his holo-screen into the computer, downloading the schematics.

Once he had them, they were off, arriving at the princess' prison just as the guard left, waving goodbye to the two guards outside her door.

Matt snuck up behind one and activated his taser glove on their armor, knocking them out. Lance rammed his bayard into the other's head. With that, Matt activated the door amd they entered.

The two blinked with surprise at the sight of the princess.

"She's a baby?!" Lance shouted, shocked. Matt approached the crib in the center of the room and picked up the tiny blue furry baby up, scanning her. She giggled at the light of the scanner, and Matt looked at the results.

"According to this, she'd be nearly two years old if we were to compare her to a human toddler."

Matt and Lance looked at each other.

"I'm going to kill all the Galra here," Lance began.

"Agreed."

Who kidnapped a fucking baby and used her as a hostage? These assholes were going way too far.

The princess tugged on Matt's hair, giggling at its length. Matt realized how difficult getting her out of here would be. She couldn't defend herself or hold her own while they got out.

He told Lance, "Use her blanket and make a sling, so you can hold your bayard and carry her at the same time. Got it?"

"On it." Lance tied the blanket on, adjusting it. Matt carefully transferred her to the sling.

"There you go. We're going to get you back to your mama soon, okay? Until then, Lance is gonna carry you."

She merely giggling and repeated, "Lan!"

"That's right, you smart girl," Lance told her, smiling. "I'm Lance. This guy is Matt."

"Lan! Math!"

"Close enough," Matt answered with a shrug. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They went out the door, nearly having a heart attack every time the adorable, _loud_ little princess laughed or said their names. They couldn't stay mad at her, not when she was just so cute and, of course, basically an infant.

They were nearly towards their escape when a pair of guard bots noticed them. Matt withdrew his sword, slicing them apart before they could shoot. He had a healthy dose of righteous fury at that moment. Unfortunately, bots detecting them set the alarms off, letting everyone know they were there.

"It'll be okay, princess," Lance assured the baby as she started to fuss, shooting another bot. "We've got you."

Matt fought off the other bots, muttering, "I wish we had a shield. That's going on the shopping list, right after a suit for Lance."

They finally reached an exit, and Matt unlocked it and ushered Lance out, shutting the door quickly on a bot.

"Run!" he shouted, and the two ran as fast as they could into the forest.

"Is the transport coming back?" Lance asked, putting his arms under the princess to make sure she was supported.

"Hopefully!" Matt answered. "Let's just run and we hope we meet it."

They didn't have to run far, the transport about midway through the forest when they got there. Delan opened the door and the two climbed in, breathing heavily.

"The princess?" Delan asked, concerned. 

Lance picked her up from the improvised sling, holding her carefully, and promised, "She's fine."

"Deda!" The princess made grabby-hands at Delan, grinning at her happily. "Deda!"

Delan sighed with relief, taking the baby from Lance. "Thank you. We are so grateful that you got her out of there when you did. Now we must get back to the queen."

* * *

The arrival back at the Daxi civilization was a huge relief. The queen didn't wait for them to enter her building, racing outside and taking her child from Delan, speaking to the little princess in a language Matt couldn't understand. The princess' excited shouts of, "Mama," at the sight of Queen Cala warmed his heart though.

"We will attack the Galra here tomorrow at dawn," Cala declared once her baby was safely in her arms and she had confirmed for herself that she was unharmed. "Holt, Paladin, we thank you for everything. Please, what would you ask of us in return?"

"Can you attempt to contact Voltron and tell them Lance was here?" Matt asked.

Cala nodded, promising, "We will do so." She turned to Delan and requested, "Have someone shut off the beacon."

Delan nodded and headed off.

"Bye little princess," Lance said to the baby, who giggled in response.

"Math! Lan!" she answered.

Cala laughed, saying, "Thank you so much. I owe you more than I can ever pay back."

"Don't worry about it," Matt assured her. "We were just happy to help. Good luck against the Galra."

"They will not last long here. I'll make sure of it."

The two headed to their ship, waving goodbye. And a tiny voice shouted, "Bye!"

* * *

"Did the princess make you think-"

"Of Katie as a baby?" Matt asked. Lance nodded. "Yeah, kinda. Of course, Katie wasn't blue or furry. She talked pretty early too, which was basically foreshadowing to the rest of her life. What about you?"

"I have two younger siblings, and a lot of younger cousins. A few nephews and nieces too. I don't mean to brag, but my family nicknamed me the baby whisperer. Kind of happens when you are always around small children."

Matt nodded in understanding, and suddenly hours of being awake hit him like a freight train. He was flat out exhausted, kept up and functional by adrenaline that had gone away now that they were done 

"Holy shit, I'm beat," Matt muttered, yawning.

"Well, it's your turn to rest. You got pretty no sleep in like a day."

"You sure, Lance?"

"I'll wake you up in a few doboshes," Lance promised "For now, just get some sleep. I'll fly in this direction until we get in the range of another distress beacon."

Matt yawned again and nodded, mumbling, "Okay." He laid down on his pallet and was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Anne for correcting me about vargas and such. The time system in Voltron confuses me so much. You aren't nitpicky; you're a goddamn lifesaver.


	6. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Lance discuss silly things and Matt tells a story.

Matt wakes up a few hours later to singing.

 _"I can show you how to be strong_ ," Lance sang, still sitting in the pilot seat, " _in the real way, and I know that we can be strong, in the real way! And I want to inspire you! I want to be your rock, and when I talk, it lights a fire in you._ "

Matt quietly sat up, not wanting to interrupt Lance's jamming.

" _I want to inspire you! I want to be your rock, and when I talk, it lights a fire in you!_ "

Lance finished the song, and Matt applauded, surprising him.

"Shit, did I wake you up?" Lance asked, concerned. "Sorry."

"No, that was me waking up on my own," Matt assured him." It's no big deal. I got a decent amount of sleep. No beacons?"

"None."

"Nice song choice. I love that show."

"You watch Steven Universe" Lance blinked, as if surprised.

"Hell yeah I do," Matt answered, grinning. "Katie always said it was for little kids, but she never actually watched it. I wish she had, since that show is the shit."

"That may be the first time I've ever considered anything Pidge said to be dumb in the entirety of the time I've known her."

"Agreed."

The two were silent for a moment, and Matt got into his seat and asked, "So, what's your favorite song from the show?" 

"'Here Comes a Thought' is mine. You?"

"Either that or 'Love Like You,'" Matt answered easily, clearly having thought about this before. "Though 'Stronger Than You' is definitely up there. If Estelle murdered me, I'd probably thank her. Also, anything Greg sings."

"Hell yeah, Greg is the best," Lance agreed. "Some of my favorite episodes are his flashback ones. 'Three Gems and a Baby' fucked me up."

"Oh yeah, I definitely know what you mean."

Lance smiled, noting, "My little siblings love that show, and got me into it. My sister decided to learn ukulele because she wanted to play the songs. She and her best friend played Steven and Connie's jam song at a talent show. It was almost a crime that they didn't win."

Lance's face fell after a moment, and Matt realized that this kid hadn't seen his siblings in months. He basically just disappeared without a trace for all they knew.

"Shiro knows all the lyrics to the Numa Numa song," Matt suddenly blurted out.

Lance's head snapped up, and he stared at Matt as if he had two heads.

"Well, technically the song is called 'Dragostea Din Tei,' but you get the point."

"You're kidding," Lance muttered, before snickering. "Shiro? The great and mature Shiro was a filthy memer?"

"Oh, he will deny it to his grave," Matt promised, "but Shiro used to make Dat Boi jokes all the time after he learned my dad knows how to ride a unicycle. I think he actually tried to convince Keith that Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer."

Lance cracked up at that, and Matt grinned. Okay, so maybe telling Lance something at Shiro's expense wasn't really cool of him, but Matt knew plenty more truly embarrassing things about Shiro that he would never tell because he was a decent person. Shiro's enjoyment of memes wasn't even scratching the surface. You don't live for months on a small ship with just two people with no other human interaction without learning something embarrassing about either of them.

Still, he was honestly no better.

"To be fair, I'm the one who rickrolled the entire faculty at the Garrison in retaliation for being repeatedly called a cadet. And I memorized the entire Bee Movie script because Katie bet I couldn't."

"Please, do not try and prove that. I believe you." Lance shook his head. "Why did everyone call you a cadet?"

"Ugh," Matt groaned at the memory. "Unlike Shiro, I didn't receive my education at the Garrison. While my dad was an actual employee, I wasn't. They needed to give me a uniform to show I was actually there for the mission, so I got a standard issue one. Specifically a standard issue _cadet_ uniform."

"Oh no."

"Yeah. Being homesick, exhausted, stressed, and repeatedly treated like a high school student when you are twenty-four years old isn't a good mix. That is actually how I met Shiro."

Lance, suddenly interested, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh?"

"Yeah." Matt sighed. "So I was in the teacher's lounge-"

* * *

_Matt was not in a good mood. In fact, the words he'd use to describe it would be "really fucking pissed." If he wasn't also dead-tired, he'd put it in all caps, but he was too tired to be that aggressive yet without proper motivation._

_This week had been fucking awful and Matt was done._

_At this point, all he had the motivation for was getting his favorite feel-good food right after Dad's peanut butter cookies: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Whenever he or Katie were upset, they would share a package and talk. If he couldn't talk to his sister, he'd at least get part of the deal._

_Of course, all the vending machines available to students were healthy foods like baked chips and granola bars and gross zero-calorie soda, the kind of things that make puppies cry. But Matt Holt was, thankfully, allowed in the teacher's lounge, which had the good vending machine with the proper candy and sodas. And, inside for only a dollar, was a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups._

_Matt was flattening his dollar against the side of the machine, attempting to get the wrinkles out, when someone said something behind him._

_"Hey, cadets aren't allowed in the teacher's lounge. Why aren't you in class?"_

_Matt exploded._

_He whirled around, shoved his finger in the offending officer's face, and shouted, "I am not a fucking cadet! I am twenty-four goddamn years old and I am sick to death of being told I can't do this or that or being looked down upon because of this damn uniform that I never asked for! I am the fucking research assistant on the Kerberos mission, not some cadet for you to order around! Now, either shut up and let me get my damn peanut butter cups so I can forget how terrible this week has been or go away!"_

_The officer stepped back, looking surprised as he held his hands up in surrender. Matt turned around and put his dollar in the slot. Instead of taking it, the machine attempted to refuse it, but he saw it bunch up inside the machine, blocking the dollar slot and insuring no other dollars could get it._

_Matt dropped his head against the machine, muttering, "I hate this." After everything this damn week, now he was going to cry over peanut butter cups in front of the officer who he just screamed in the face of._

_He just wanted to go home._

_He barely registered the sound of four coins being inserted into the machine or the plop of something falling into the bottom until he felt a tap on his shoulder._

_"Here," the officer from before said, holding out the package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups he just bought. "I'm sorry for assuming you were a cadet. Peace offering?"_

_Matt looked at the package and the officer, and guilt hit him as he took it. He just screamed in this guy's face and he bought him candy? Holy shit?_

_"Thanks," he said, offering a tentative smile. "Sorry for screaming at you. It's...it's been a long week." He opened the package and slid a peanut butter cup out of it, handing it to the officer. "Here. You might as well have one, since you bought them. I'll pay you back for the other one."_

_"Oh, it's no problem," the officer assured him, though he did take the candy. "I'm Shiro."_

_"It's nice to meet you, Shiro. I'm Matt."_

* * *

"You screamed in Shiro's face?" Lance asked, amazed. "You screamed in Garrison hero and epitome of excellence Takashi Shirogane's face?"

"Yeah, when I connected Shiro to the name of the pilot for the Kerberos mission, I nearly thought I'd be removed from the mission. But no, Shiro didn't hold it against me. We ended up becoming good friends. Though I still had to deal with the damn cadet uniform until the day of launch, ugh. Katie laughed at the story once I confirmed that I wasn't getting kicked off the mission for it."

Lance cracked up, noting, "I can just imagine his face."

"It was pretty cute actually. I'd compare it to a baby deer that just got surprised."

He looked at Lance and realized he said too much.

"Don't," he said, his eyes narrowing.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Lance answered innocently. Matt didn't trust that face. Not at all.

"Good plan," he noted, giving him a cautious look.

"Though I would say Shiro is less cute and more sexy as fuck."

"I am not discussing this with you," Matt answered, his tone slightly annoyed but otherwise fine. "Unless you want me to ask how your relationships are going?"

"Okay, okay, I'll lay off of the teasing."

"Thank you." Matt thought for a moment before asking, "Do you think Katie would prefer if I called her Pidge?"

Lance shrugged, admitting, "She never told us to call her anything else. I didn't know her first name was Katie until you told me. You should ask her when we find them. I should probably ask her too."

"Oh, she'd certainly let you know if there was a problem," Matt assured him. "Still, never hurts to ask."

"Yeah."

Matt looked over Lance before deciding, "Okay, I'm buying you a space suit before we handle the next beacon. I don't trust my luck enough for us to get a third human-safe planet in a row." He pulled up his screen and began searching through the database.

"You don't have to," Lance promised.

"I want to though. If you are going to survive until we find Voltron, you need a suit, and I am fairly sure you don't have the money we need to buy it."

He quickly found a nearby option. "Okay. So this place apparently has several stores, meaning one is probably going to be selling what we're looking for. It's not a refugee planet, meaning while we'll have more options there is the possibility of Galra being there. As long as you don't show anyone your bayard though, we should be okay. Let me just save our current coordinates so we can back to our initial path and then input the coordinates to follow."

A screen appeared next to Lance's seat, showing the instructions.

"Thanks, man."

"As the adult here, it is kind of my responsibility to make sure you don't die. So it's not a problem, okay?"

With that, Lance turned the ship in the direction of their new destination and they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the results of the poll:
> 
> Matt and Lance Bonding won. 76 people voted for that, but 21 of them didn't want the embarrassing stories about Shiro, so I limited it to just revealing what a filthy memer he is.
> 
> 33 people wanted Lance to finally get a space suit, so that is up next. And only 4 people wanted another mission. Only one of them who voted for that suggested an idea for that, but it was a really good idea so a future chapter will be inspired by that!
> 
> 113 people voted total before I cut it off. I am so surprised by how many voted! I don't want to let you guys down.
> 
> If you guys want to chat or anything like that, my tumblr is boopboopitydoop. I love talking about these nerds. The tag I did for it on there is _this is new_ but there is nothing in it except me answering people's suggestions so...eh?
> 
> Wish me luck, guys!


	7. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt browses while Lance gets a suit so he can live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. So this chapter took a lot longer than the previous several, and for a very good reason. Last week, when I was mass posting chapters and all that stuff, I was on spring break.
> 
> Yeah, I'm a high school student. The great thing about spring break was, without the stress of school work and dickhead classmates who make awful jokes about anyone who isn't a straight white dude, I had time to get a bunch done on this story, because I could spend entire days brainstorming and writing. But now school is back and my next break is a four day weekend starting on Good Friday. And, after that, I don't get any free time until June.
> 
> So yeah, updates won't be as frequent as they were last week. I will still update, but I am not reliable enough to give you guys an update schedule and actually meet deadlines I set for myself. Easter weekend will be hit or miss on what I manage to get out. But only two months until I'm free for three months and can update frequently.
> 
> Thanks for being patient guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The two chatted all the way to the coordinates, and soon the location was in their sights.

"Is that a swap moon?" Lance asked, surprised.

"Yeah, that was what the database said," Matt answered, shrugging. "Apparently they used to be primarily space pirate run, but the Galra Empire pretty much annihilated space pirates once they took over. Swap moons are now kind of a misnomer, since instead of bartering your items off to get items, they run like proper stores."

"Dude, I've been. It's basically a space mall!"

Matt blinked, before adding, "Well, that is even better than I expected. We're probably really likely to find a suit that fits you. Just don't pull out your bayard."

"Yeah, apparently they do have so Galra there, but all I ran into was a mall cop basically, and he can't leave the mall. He probably forgot what I look like anyway."

"Still, don't take any chances."

* * *

They parked and went into the main area, and Matt was impressed with how little Lance was kidding when he described it as a space mall.

"Alright, you go look for a suit," Matt suggested, passing Lance some money and a piece of paper. "Here is a few thousand GAC. If you have money left after that, you can use it for whatever you want within reason. If it isn't enough, here is my comm code so you can call me."

"Thanks!" Lance answered, running off. Matt shook his head, smiling, and began looking around at stores.

* * *

There was a store that vaguely looked like a pawn shop, with a four armed alien running it. He looked at the variety of items.

"Nice sword you have there," the store runner called, smirking. Matt looked at the sword sheathed on his back and looked back at the alien. "Would you be willing to trade it?"

"Nope." With that, he left that store before he could potentially get cheated out of his sword.

* * *

There was a food place called Vrepit Sal's, run by a Galra with a mean glare. He was desperately putting together some food that looked surprisingly appetizing.

He approached and asked, "I'd like to order some food please. How much?"

"Five hundred GAC," he answered gruffly, clearly annoyed about something.

Expensive...but he had the money so....

Matt pulled out five hundred GAC and paid for it, grabbing a number and waiting for it to be called. Once it was, he took the food and tasted it.

Holy shit this was good.

"Thank you," he told the owner, grinning. "This is really good!"

* * *

He flicked a four GAC piece into the fountain as he passed, mentally making a wish. He smiled as he watched an alien child do something similar before running off to follow their parent. Nice to see some things stayed consistent, even light years away from Earth.

It looked a lot emptier than expected for a wishing fountain. Huh, it must have been recently installed. He thought it was older.

* * *

He blinked in amazement at the sight before him.

An alien selling Earth products! Sure, they were from the eighties or so, but holy shit the stuff they had! He eagerly went inside and looked around.

"Can I interest you in the latest Earth fashion?" the alien asked. Matt had to resist snorting at the 51 baseball cap, instead just shaking his head at the sight of eighties clothing. He would rather not be mocked by a teenager until they found Voltron and then get mocked by his little sister. No thank you.

Matt looked around. He needed something that, if it wasn't useful, was nice and small that he could keep with him. He scored at the sight of a box of keychains.

"Those are eight GAC each," the shopkeeper informed him.

Matt grinned and pulled out two. One was vintage troll doll keychain with bright orange hair and the other was a bright blue tennis shoe. He paid the sixteen GAC required and headed off.

* * *

Matt was walking around the mall still when his comm beeped. Concerned, he grabbed it and turned it on. "Hello?"

"Matt, I need you to tell this guy I'm not a pirate."

"What?"

"Okay, last time we were here there was a huge mess. One Unilu guy tried to claim Keith stole his knife, Hunk became Gordon Ramsey, and I accidentally bought a cow. Long story short, he thinks I'm a space pirate."

"...A cow?"

"It was free with purchase!"

Matt sighed, pinching his brows. "Alright, just let me know where you are and I'll be there shortly. Everything you did was legal, correct?"

"99.999% sure of it!" Lance promised.

That 0.001% concerned him.

* * *

If someone had told Matt that he'd have to bail Lance out after he was arrested by a mall cop named _Varkon_ on a hover-segway by debating the legality of the transfer of ownership of the cow that he had been given with a vintage video game and system, he'd only be a little surprised because that was what his life now.

"He didn't pay for the cow, though," Varkon noted, his tone sharp.

"The shopkeeper said that the cow was free of charge with the purchase of the game system," Matt argued. "Neither him nor his friends committed any crimes while within the premises. Additionally, you have no proof they are space pirates. So can you please release him from his detainment?"

Varkon's eyes narrowed at Matt and Lance, the latter smiling innocently, before sighing. "Fine. But I'm watching you two, so don't give me a reason to arrest you."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Glad that situation was taken care of," Lance muttered, stretching his arms out over his head. He seemed surprisingly nonchalant about the entire situation, though Matt supposed that killing the emperor of the Galra Empire made being potentially discovered by a space mall cop seem like nothing.

"Did you find a suit?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lance grinned, saying, "I found the perfect one!"

He led the way to a nearby shop, where he approached the alien at the counter. Her tag gave her name as Yovi, and specified her pronouns. "Hey, are you still holding the suit?"

"Here you are," she answered, smiling oddly flirtatiously. "Twenty-five hundred GAC."

Lance returned the expression, passing her the money and saying with a wink, "Thanks, beautiful."

She giggled in response and Matt just raised an eyebrow. Oh boy, was he going to have to deal with this kid flirting with this alien shopkeeper. ...Eh, whatever. It wasn't like he was being lewd or anything.

"I'm going to go check out more stores if you want to stay here," Matt told Lance. "Does your suit come with a comm?"

"He can get one for five hundred more GAC," the shopkeeper helpfully supplied. "If you get a comm, we'll connect it to the helmet for free in situations sound can't travel through." Matt nodded and passed her the money required.

"Meet back at the ship when you're done," he told Lance. "Don't do something stupid."

"Got it, Matt."

* * *

Surprisingly, trusting a teenager to not do something stupid was less of a dumb decision than most would expect. Unlike the disaster that many movies, Matt's homophobic anti-progress grandfather, and the general public predicted, Matt returned from checking out a few more stores to find Lance already at the ship, nothing broken or on fire.

"How did the flirting go?" Matt asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Eh, neither of us really saw it going anywhere. She apparently is more into this alien who works at the help desk. It's no big deal. Happens all the time. She gave me her comm code and told me she wouldn't mind being friends, so it's all good."

"Alright," Matt answered, tossing Lance the blue tennis shoe key chain. "Here, souvenir from the 80's Earth shop. Thought you might like it."

Lance blinked as he caught the keychain, looking at it with surprise. Then he smiled and clipped it to one of his belt loops.

"What did you get?" he asked, intrigued.

"Some really good food from a food court store," Matt began. "Some supplies while you were flirting. And another keychain." He held up the troll doll keychain with a sheepish grin, and Lance immediately snorted.

They entered the ship, and Matt hung the troll doll near his seat.

"Alright. You should probably get changed into your suit," he continued. "And let me get a good look at your comm? I'll see if I can modify it in any way."

Lance passed Matt the comm and headed to the back of the ship to change.

Matt looked over the comm. It was a good one, he decided, with a holo-screen to receive files and such. He could add a scanner to it, which would help with missions, especially ones that involved facial recognition systems. Otherwise, it would work. He input his comm code so the two were connected and set it aside.

"Surprise!"

Matt jolted, looking around desperately. Hadn't Lance said that right in his ear?"

Suddenly Lance appeared, blue light revealing a very dark blue suit. He removed the mask and noted, "It's camouflage! If something goes behind me or if I move it takes some time to change to the background behind me, but otherwise it's pretty good, right?"

Matt nodded, impressed. "Good idea. Just...don't make a habit of that?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Anyway, I'm going to modify one of your gloves with some Galra tech so you can unlock doors and systems and such," Matt explained. "Hopefully the modifications won't disrupt the camouflage feature of your suit. Any place to carry your bayard inside?"

Lance nodded, slipping it into a holster on his side that completely covered it. That was good. Unless someone looked in the holster, they wouldn't realize he was a Paladin, and it would be camouflage too.

"Alright. We should head back to our saved coordinates now and continue on our quest."

Lance nodded and sat down starting the ship. "Let's do this, then."

And they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing! Again, sorry it took so long, but... _school_.


	8. In Medias Res

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the fuck is going on?

Matt did his best to stay calm, despite the blade being aggressively pressed against his throat. One wrong move and he would be dead. Though, arguably, there had been many wrong moves that had led to this moment, but there was no going back on those wrong moves. He simply had to keep from being seen as physically aggressive and he wouldn't have his blood spilled.

"Where is your accomplice?" the Galra general in front of him asked, his voice cold and menacing.

Matt gave a shaky grin in response. Haha, fuck this guy.

"No idea," he answered, his voice keeping a cheeky tone.

* * *

The ship beeped after a while back on track, and Matt looked on his screen, reading aloud the important details.

"Beacon. Planet is Freedas. Atmosphere is fine. The aliens here have no set name. Rather short and reptilian. 80% water on the surface."

"Dang. Wish I had the Blue Lion."

Matt nodded in agreement, before continuing, "Galra have been possessing this planet for much longer. They need liberation more desperately than the Daxi. Let's go see what we can do."

Lance nodded, landing near the beacon.

* * *

"Don't play games with me! You must know where your friend is!"

Matt shrugged, wincing slightly as the edge scraped against his throat. "No clue. He could be anywhere. I didn't really have a plan other than making sure you didn't get him. Ball's in his court. It's his decision of what to do with it. For all I know, he is long gone and has flown off to some other planet. I really don't know him all that well, to be honest, but I suppose it is possible."

"Who are you?!" the general shouted, spit hitting Matt's face. _Ew_.

"Nuisance," Matt remarked. "Nerd. Shiro was fond of calling me clod after I called him that once. Funny, he hasn't even seen Steven Universe. Doofus was a favorite of Katie's. My mom called me Little Fox when I was little, because I liked to steal things from Dad's desk."

"Shut up and tell me or I'll kill you!"

Matt gave him an amused look. "You need me for information. Too valuable to kill. Torture doesn't work. I mean, it hurts and I won't be happy, but cases where torture was effective in getting information are pretty rare."

The blade dug in deeper, and Matt could feel the barest trickle of blood as it broke skin. He didn't allow himself to react. He needed to remain calm or he'd hurt himself further in his panic.

* * *

"We are honored to have a Paladin here, though we wish we could have more than one. Still, your feats have impressed us, Paladin. Queen Luxia has shared your deeds with many, and the Daxi have spoken greatly of your heroism after saving their princess. We have no doubt that you will be of great help to us."

Lance blushed a little and stood a tad bit taller, pride filling him. Matt grinned. Yeah, people appreciating his friends!

"It is an honor to be here," Lance answered, bowing. "What do you need us to do?"

"The general here has been a tyrant for far too long. If you can dispose of him and as many of the other Galra as you can, we'd be able to fight back on more equal footing. I fear to ask for more since the rest of Voltron isn't here."

"We'll do as much as we can to help you," Matt promised, determination filling his voice. "I promise we won't let you down?"

* * *

"Who sent you?!"

"You know, I'm wondering how you keep your voice in such good shape," Matt noted, pretending to be curious. "With all the shouting you do, I'd expect you to be pretty hoarse at this point. Hot tea?"

The knife is withdrawn just before the general backhanded Matt, knocking him to the side and making him see stars for a moment. Ugh. That would leave a bruise. He could feel a warm liquid on his face and held back a wince. He was bleeding. Damn, was the guy wearing a ring?

Matt smirked.

"Boring."

* * *

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

Matt had a feeling that Shiro would be disappointed in him as Lance let out a steady stream of fucks. After all, he frequently cursed and Lance to curse, which wasn't setting a good example. Still, cursing wasn't really that big of a deal unless he pulled out slurs, and Matt figured they were justified in this moment.

They were getting practically Zerg rushed by a bunch of Galra bots. And they were getting cornered.

Lance was shooting as many as he could, and Matt was impressed, but they'd soon be overwhelmed if he didn't act soon.

He gazed at the schematics. If he was correct...

Matt grabbed his sword and sliced open a path. Bingo. Laundry chute. Quick escape route, and thankfully less likely to get someone killed than a garbage chute. The only problem was making sure they weren't buried in Galra bots. The only way to stop that...

His eyes darted to Lance. If one stayed behind and defended the chute until the other was too far away, the other person could get away safely. And Matt knew instantly who would be going down.

He grabbed the back of Lance's suit and yanked him backwards, setting him off balance before shoving him down the chute.

"Matt!" Lance shouted, looking horrified as he fell and desperately trying to find a handhold that wasn't there. Soon he was out of sight, and Matt was covered in Galra bots just after shouting one last message to Lance.

"See you soon!"

* * *

Another backhand. Matt spit out a tooth after that one. Oh, more blood. Fun.

He turned his gaze at the general, a smirk on his face.

"I am terrible at basketball," Matt admitted. "Tried it in middle school and remained a solid B-team member. I always passed when I got the ball, not very confident in my abilities."

"What are you talking about?!"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Rambling, I guess. My sister and I do that when we're nervous. Anyway, in basketball, there is always that choice you make when you're playing. Do you run? Do you pass? I generally like that option, but it is kind of a bad idea if no one is open."

"Enough!"

The general lifted the knife, looking about to finally get rid of the nuisance.

"Or do you shoot?"

The knife is shot out of the general's hand, surprising him. Matt swept out a leg, knocking the general to the ground. He watched as soldier after soldier collapsed from gunshot wounds, none able to find the sharpshooter picking them off one-by-one.

"Wow, you're good," Matt remarked, nodding with approval. He knew that a Paladin of Voltron would have to be good, but the shooting ability of Lance was fucking impressive.

"Did you know I was here?" Lance called.

Matt shook his head, grinning. "Not really. Thought I'd see what happens though. If you hadn't have been there, that non sequitur would have been kind of funny. Got lucky, didn't I? It just looked kind of badass, like I knew that you were there."

He knew Lance would come back for him. The boy was too loyal not to.

The general started to get up, growling viciously, before a final shot rang out and he collapsed.

"Sorry Matt. Nearly missed him."

* * *

"We are in your debt, Paladin. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"If you see any of Voltron," Lance began, smiling, "Let them know Lance was here, and that he is looking for them. That's all I ask, your majesty."

The ruler nodded, smiling kindly. "Very well. Please, allow us to also help you stock up on supplies and let you get cleaned up and get some rest. It would be our pleasure to allow you two to rest. We can also handle your companion's injuries."

"That would be appreciated."

* * *

Matt was almost sad to leave. A night of rest after the hecticness since he had rescued Lance was very much appreciated.

It was the best night of sleep he had had since he was captured, and the first time other than a few "hospital" visits that it was in a bed of any kind.

Lance waved goodbye to many of the people on this planet, who all were smiling happily. They would soon be fighting the few remains of the Galra left on this planet, their obstacle made easier to cross thanks to Lance's shooting (Matt refused to take credit. It was Lance who had taken down most of the Galra after all.)

Soon the two were back on the ship, off again to save another planet.

* * *

"Hey, Matt?" Lance began after they left. "Do you think all Galra are bad?"

Matt blinked, then shook his head. "No. That would be like saying all Germans in Nazi Germany were Nazis. It would be ignorant of me to assume that every Galra out there supports Zarkon's stupid agenda. Why are you asking?"

"Just...making sure..."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's not my place to say, okay?"

Matt, confused, answered, "Okay then."

He supposed he'd have to wait to see what Lance was talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is pretty much filler, and shitty filler at that. Sorry about that. I promise better chapters in the future. I feel like I just owe you guys a chapter after almost three weeks without an update.
> 
> I was working on another story, _Forget Me Not_ , which I actually finished miraculously. That gives me hope that I'll actually be able to finish this one before Season 3 comes and makes it all obsolete with all new information, like Season 2 did to _Wrecked_. However, this one still has a ways to go before it will be complete. Until then, I'll try to post at least once a week at least.


	9. Wake Me Up (Wake Me Up Inside)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space is mostly empty after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a shit ton of dialogue.

Matt wasn't the biggest fan of silence.

He, quite honestly, hated it. He liked to fill the silence with chatter and singing. He would think aloud when it wasn't necessary to do so simply to drown out the quiet. He would sing to fill the void.

Lance had been dead silent since he asked him about Matt's thoughts on there being good Galra. He refused to go into it, but Matt could deduce from the information that one of Lance's allies, possibly even a Paladin, was Galra.

That didn't change anything really for Matt. This person was still sacrificing their life to fight the Empire, and clearly Lance trusted them.

It's not like he hadn't had any experience with good Galra.

Still though, he could understand the concern. Likely many out there would not be particularly excited about a Galra being on the team to save the universe. Matt could understand why, but he felt for the Galra who'd have to go through that shit.

Okay, the silence was getting pretty annoying now.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked Lance, concerned. "You've been pretty silent since we left Freedas?"

Lance blinked. "Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. Just worried about stuff."

Matt gave him a curious look, silently urging him to go on and keep talking. Not just to fill the void of silence, but to let him get whatever this was off his chest.

"It's nothing," Lance assured him, forcing a smile on his face. "Anyway, got anything you want to talk about?"

Matt was unconvinced, but unsure how to respectfully admit he thought Lance was full of shit without making the teen defensive. So he cautiously dropped it and thought of another subject.

"So, what are the other Paladins like?" Matt asked. "Hunk and Keith? I've heard of Keith through Shiro, but other than that I don't know much about him. And Hunk is someone I've never met before."

Lance grinned. "Oh, Hunk? He is every bit as smart as Pidge. He was a scholarship kid like me, and he had top grades in physics and mathematics before Pidge came. He was an amazing engineer and probably would have been one of the best in the Garrison if his motion sickness hadn't kept the teachers from seeing how spectacular he was. He is also the best chef. He took alien food he had never worked with before and created the most delicious meals I'd ever eaten.

"He is good at comforting people and being there when we need him. It's pretty sad that his engineering skills are overlooked a lot, but he does get recognition for his other skills, so he says he isn't too bothered."

"I can't wait to meet him," Matt remarked. "He sounds like a spectacular guy."

"He is." Lance sighed. "Keith...is possibly the third best fighter on the ship, only barely beneath the skill level of Allura and Shiro. Maybe fourth, since I haven't gotten to see Coran in a one-on-one battle with anyone yet. Anyway, that is still saying a lot. He is also one of the best pilots, and he flies the Red Lion, which is supposedly the hardest one to fly. He is pretty impulsive, which is good for flying her. Her Paladins rely heavily on their instincts, which he definitely does. But that also means he sometimes has to be yanked back so we can strategize. He is the jump-in-and-stab-everyone kind of guy in battle." Lance had a fond smile on his face. "He's not too bad, if kind of a prick sometimes."

Matt raised an amused eyebrow and Lance noticed and scowled.

"Not like that," he said, rolling his eyes. He sagged a little, adding, "Even if I did like him that way, _which I don't_ , it wouldn't be any good to pursue anything. Ignoring that he is probably dating Allura, things between us aren't exactly the best. There is still some resentment there, and that is probably the strongest relationship poison out there. And since Voltron forming relies on a strong bond..."

"...If you and Keith had an unhealthy relationship, it could make forming Voltron almost impossible," Matt finished, catching on.

Lance nodded. "See? It wouldn't be just me and Keith getting hurt by it. The universe would suffer. So, no relationship until I fully get over the bullshit."

"...That's actually really mature of you, Lance," Matt pointed out, surprising Lance. "You thought about the consequences, recognized how your issues could adversely affect others, and made a decision. I certainly wouldn't have thought that much into it if I was your age and in your shoes."

Lance gave a small smile at Matt's words. "Thanks man."

"No problem."

There was a bit of silence that was much more comfortable than before before Lance asked, "What was your friendship with Shiro like?"

Matt laughed, explaining, "Interesting, to say the least. As to be expected when you introduce yourself to them by screaming at them. Shiro liked to be a little shit when things weren't serious. There were plenty of memes, naturally. He was good to talk to when things got stressful, or you were having a problem."

Matt grinned as he reminisced. "He hated Iverson so much. It's like how the dad from Fairly Odd Parents hated Dinkleburg except actually justified. I remember how Iverson was lecturing me on being more professional like Shiro, and meanwhile Shiro was standing behind him, silently mocking his lecture the entire time. If you wanted to Shiro to lose any semblance of seeming professional, all you had to do was bring up Iverson."

Lance snorted, nodding at that. Matt took that as a sign that Iverson had been one of the assholes who made Lance think less of himself.

"Only Iverson could get Shiro incensed like that. I swear, one time someone poured soup on Shiro and he _apologized to them_! But Iverson could literally just say hi to us and Shiro would look about to murder him. I had no problems with it of course, because Iverson was pretty much an asshole to me from day 1 at the Garrison, but even I was like, 'Shiro, stop being so extra. At least give him two seconds to deserve it.' Oh my god, Iverson was such a dick."

"Definitely," Lance agreed. "I can't name all the times Hunk was made fun of for his motion sickness, and Iverson never stopped it. If anything, he seemed to agree. And he repeatedly insulted you guys after you disappeared, claiming it was lack of teamwork that fucked you guys over when almost anyone could tell that claim was total bullshit. Not to mention he said that shit with Pidge _right there_!

"And it was Keith this, Kogane that. Every time he fucking talked, it was to remind is that nobody there would ever be good enough because we weren't Keith. And none of us would have even wanted to be if we weren't repeatedly told our skills were worth nothing because we weren't. No wonder we all hated Keith."

Lance blinked, realizing he was ranting, and muttered, "Sorry."

"Sounds like you needed to get it off your chest," Matt assured him. "And, if it helps, the fact that you're flying an alien craft that isn't psychic by yourself is pretty indicative that Iverson is full of shit. You are a good pilot. And fuck anyone who says you have to be just like Keith. I bet my ass that you are better than him at things, and that is just as valuable as his skills. So yeah, Iverson can go fuck himself."

Lance blinked, before smiling. "Thanks man."

Matt grinned. "I have to punch him when I get back to Earth by the way. Remind me to do that?"

"You got it."

* * *

It was a couple of hours later when the beep went off.

Matt pulled up the screen, saying, "Galra ship arrived at a relatively small tribal community on a nearby planet. They lack the weapons to properly defend themselves from the Galra. We should probably go handle that."

"Sure," Lance noted, waiting as Matt transferred the coordinates to him. He tilted his head, looking at them strangely. "Huh."

"What's wrong?" Matt asked, concerned.

"I recognize these coordinates," he explained, taking the controls. "I must have been here before with Voltron. I can't remember where though. Must have been a while since we went there I guess...What planet is it?"

Matt looked back at his screen and pulled up the planet information. "It's called...Arus."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no Kallura in this story. While I don't mind if you ship it, I personally don't. Lance simply assumes Kallura is a thing.
> 
> Also, Lance lowkey has put a lot of thought into the adverse effects his issues with Keith could cause in a hypothetical relationship. Characters having moments where they actually consider consequences and make mature decisions is something I enjoy. 
> 
> ~~Some day my Klance will come. Eventually...I am so sorry.~~
> 
> Okay, so I just saw the leak. My hype was lost at my sister's reminder that Gravity Falls had a fake leak. Still, whether the leak is fake or not, _Matt's hair in that image is canon for this story._ ~~When he lowkey has better hair than I do after being lost in space without shampoo or conditioner.~~
> 
> We have finally returned to a point where I know how shit is going to go down. I need to get this story finished before September. My plan is hopefully to manage weekly updates, but nothing set in stone because not only is school still a thing, but I've got to work on some other shit too.


	10. Nobody Said It Was Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _No one ever said it would be this hard._   
>  _Oh take me back to the start._

**"...Hey guys. It's me. I'm alive! Great, right? I'd ask how things are with you but, well, you can't really respond. We can only get one last message out of this. Might as well make the most of it and stop rambling I guess. Limited time and all that. So, lets just stick to the basics."**

* * *

"So Princess Allura and Coran were on Arus for ten thousand years before you arrived?" Matt asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Lance answered, grinning. "We met the Arusians a bit after our first training session together. It was a bit crazy at first, and at one point they were going to all throw themselves in a sacrificial fire-"

"Wait, what?"

"-but Allura cleared everything up and they're all pretty cool. I hope nothing too bad happened to them. But, once we solve the issue, I distinctly remember Allura giving the leader a communicator to contact Voltron in case of an emergency."

Matt blinked, then grinned broadly. "You mean, this is our chance to get in contact with Voltron! Hell yes! Let's get there as quickly as possible!"

* * *

**"So, I left. And I guess you guys aren't really clear on why. But...the Red Lion rejected me. Vocally, or at least as vocally as the Lions can manage. Told me the only Paladin she wanted was Keith. Blue and I were already cut off, since Allura shouldn't have had to worry about piloting a Lion with two different loyalties like Shiro had to. So, I figured, what's the point? Why should I stay when I can't do anything to help you guys. Best to just...get out of your way.**

**"It was the dumbest decision I ever made."**

* * *

"Our king was captured by the Galra, who stationed themselves where the castle used to be," one of the Arusians explained to Lance and Matt, who looked at each other with concern. "He is the only one who knows where the communicator to contact Voltron is, so we were forced to use the Beacon. Thank you so much for coming."

"We'll get him back. I promise." Matt straightened his spine, looking as determined as possible. They could do this.

* * *

**"I took a suicide mission and got captured. Haggar was about to do experiments on me. I was lucky that I got out of there, but I was lost. I had no idea where you guys were anymore. I wasn't even sure I should go back.**

**"But, then I learned about Prince Lotor. How he had a vendetta against Voltron, and would be more active than Zarkon was. And I realized, now you guys are missing two Paladins, and I made a terrible mistake. But I had no idea where you guys were. Nobody had heard of where you were since we defeated Zarkon. But then I realized, the distress beacons. You have a map of all the distress beacons active. So, if I began going to places, helping people, and deactivating those beacons, eventually you'd realize something was going on, and you'd find me. Especially since Pidge can run all those calculations and stuff."**

* * *

Matt shocked a guard blocking the way into the control room, activating the comm and saying, "Alright, Lance. Stay low for a couple of minutes while I get the location of the Arusians' king and figure out what obstacles you'll need to get past."

Matt placed his Galra glove on the panel, activating the computer. He rummaged through the files, getting a basic idea of what was what using his translator, and found the records for the king. Opening up the schematics, he began looking through and nodding before saving the schematics and sending them to Lance's communicator.

"Alright, just follow the map and you'll get to the door. The hall is guarded by pairs of Galra bots, who walk by every twelve seconds. You should avoid most of them, but get the arm of one to activate the door. Keep it so I can modify your glove too."

Suddenly, there was banging on the door, and Matt stiffened.

"Matt, what was that?" Lance asked, sounding concerned.

Matt took a deep breath. Releasing the king was first priority. Lance needed to focus on that.

"Nothing. Get going, okay?"

* * *

**"I'm not alone, thankfully. The guy who rescued me...he has been a good partner. He is also self-sacrificing as hell, but he insists it's because he's the adult, and thus he needs to put my safety first. I appreciate it, but it terrifies the hell out of me sometimes. But he is just as determined to get me back to you guys as I am, and I appreciate that."**

* * *

"Alright, I got him. Matt, what's going on on your end?"

"Everythings...fine. Just...fine."

"Matt? What's going on?"

Matt was feeling dizzy as he gripped his side, holding himself up by the computer station. He took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Lance, I am not going to be able to make it to our meeting place. I am currently suffering from blood loss and I don't think I'll be able to walk without losing consciousness. You need to get the king out of this ship and come back for me. Our priority is getting the hostage to safety, and then you can worry about me."

"Matt, what happened?!"

Matt winced. "I was attacked in the control room." He looked at the decimated Galra bots at his feet. "Honestly, the other guys are much worse, but they got a pretty bad hit in. It was cauterized, but I pulled the wound open getting the last one. I'll be fine, I promise. I'll try and hide before the Galra can find me, but you can't risk getting yourself and the king captured for my sake. Come back for me when he is safe, okay?"

He turned off the communicator, in order to basically say the discussion was over. He ducked behind the console and continued to put pressure on his wound, hoping he'd be able to remain conscious.

* * *

**"I actually really appreciate this guy. He takes my ideas seriously, and he listens when I question his orders. And when I disobey them for a good reason...you know what? Let's just change the subject."**

* * *

Matt was barely conscious when the door opened, and he heard two voices.

"I see your friend, Paladin."

"Matt!"

"I'm alive," Matt mumbled.

Lance hurried over, looking over the scenario before asking the king, "Give me a strip of your prisoner uniform. I can use it as a makeshift bandage for now."

There was the ripping of cloth and pressure on his wound, causing him to cringe in pain.

"Hang in there, Matt," Lance told him, pulling him up into sitting position to better gauge the situation. He quickly came to a decision and took a deep breath, almost as if to calm himself down and remind himself everything would be okay. "Pidge will murder me if you die, so try and stay awake. Your Majesty, climb on my back and wrap your arms around my neck. I'm going to try and get you both out of here."

Matt was soon lifted up, Lance grunting a little but otherwise okay.

"Your Majesty, ask Matt some questions to keep him awake please? We don't want him to loose consciousness."

"Matt, I am the King of the Arusians. How do you know the Paladins of Voltron?"

Matt smiled, though in his pain it was more of a grimace. "Funny story there."

* * *

**"He's currently recovering from the last mission. The Arusians say that they don't want us to leave for a while to allow him to recover. And...we made a decision."**

* * *

The king held out the device.

"We do not have the resources to properly maintain it, so it is not in good condition."

Lance looked over it, wincing at the condition, and said, "I'll give it to Matt when he is conscious.

* * *

**"It was a hard one to make, but looking at the people we helped..."**

* * *

Matt was sitting in his pallet, looking at the device with a serious look on his face.

"Well?" Lance asked, a bit desperately.

"It's trashed. It probably wasn't in the best condition after ten thousand years, and there is nothing in the Arusian civilization advanced enough to repair it. I don't even think anything I have could effectively repair it. Best thing I can do is use it to send one big message and hope it lasts for one recording to send off."

* * *

**"These were people who, if we hadn't gotten to them, might never had been able to do anything about their situations. The people of Freedas might have become like the Balmerans, some born under the Galra and never knowing what freedom is. The Daxi's princess could have grown up a permanent hostage, never seeing her mom again. And, I look at all the people that I could help. Because, if I'm not able to help you guys, wherever you are, I can at least help these people we might have never gotten to if I hadn't left."**

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay?" Lance asked, a bit hesitant.

Matt smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, man. I'm cool with it. Helping these people is important to me too. I know what it is like in Galra captivity. I don't want anyone to suffer that for longer than they have to. Besides, they'll find us eventually. I'm sure of it."

* * *

**"So, this message was created and sent fourteen quintants since I left the Castle. We are spending seven quintants here on Arus to let my rescuer recover from our mission. If you get this message within those seven quintants, come and get us. If not, we will be continuing to go and handle distress beacons. Pidge can probably use our deactivated beacons to figure out our next location by the time you get to this. We'll be careful.**

**"I...I really miss you guys. Even though I hope to help people...I just really want you guys to come get me. My friend is nice but...I miss Hunk's hugs and food and even his snooping, and Pidge telling me to get lost but also trying to figure out how to wire that game system we got to holoscreens, and Coran regaling me with stories about when he was at boot camp. I miss flirting with Allura, and I promise that it's simply for the joke now. If it really makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop. And heck, I even miss arguing with Keith.**

**"I'm running out of time for the message. Just...please come if you can. See you guys."**

* * *

Matt looked at Lance, deciding not to question why he didn't just outright say that Matt was there, since Lance was looking upset.

"You okay?"

"Just...tired."

Matt nodded with understanding. "They'll find us. You know they will. Are you sure you don't want to wait longer?"

Lance shook his head. "No. It would be the smart decision, but all I can think of is the Daxi when I consider that, and their princess. I don't want to think of what could have happened if we hadn't been there. About the possibility of the princess not getting to see her Mom again." Matt wondered for a moment if there was something about what Lance said, if he was connecting more with the princess's plight than he originally thought. If Lance was thinking about his family as well.

Matt knew that was what he was thinking of. He wondered constantly if he'd ever see his dad or mom again. His sister now seemed an obtainable goal. If he found her, she'd be able to help him find their dad, and someday they'd get home to their mom. But there was also the terrifying thought that one or more of those steps wouldn't happen. That he'd never find Katie. That he'd never find his dad. That he'd never make it home to his mom.

Lance was a teenage boy almost across the universe from his family. And now he was separated from the surrogate family that had filled that void temporarily. And Matt wasn't enough to take the edge off that fear of never getting back home. All he could do was offer silent support.

So he placed a hand on Lance's shoulder and promised, "We'll be okay."

That was all he could promise right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not watched the trailer.
> 
> I did see still images from it on Tumblr.
> 
> I have made the decision to continue this story despite that.
> 
> This story is now firmly in AU territory. I'm still going to try and stick to as much basis in canon as possible. And, hopefully get Matt a staff soon.
> 
> Sorry that this chapter was so late. Things were hectic. There was prom, then the end of the school year, then my trip out of the state. My grandmother has been in the hospital twice since the last chapter and was briefly in a rehabilitation center. Her health is deteriorating, and so is her mental state. I don't know how things are going to go, to be honest. I'm terrified.
> 
> The next chapter will come a lot sooner. I promise. Unlike this one, I know pretty much exactly what is going to happen. It is gonna be a bit different, and you'll see why. I hope you like it a lot.
> 
> I'm going to try to complete this. But if things come up, it may have to be set aside. I promise to let you guys know.
> 
> Love you guys! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!


	11. And Now For Something Completely Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written this perspective before.

Hunk was working in Pidge's makeshift workshop, looking up at Pidge for a moment. She had dark circles under her eyes and she didn't even seem to notice that her glasses were askew on her face.

He sighed, saying, "You should get some sleep, Pidge. This isn't healthy."

"Sleep is for the weak," Pidge mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Besides, I'm making progress."

"You've literally just been staring at a pile of Altean junk for twenty minutes."

"I'm putting it together in my head. I'm going to make a device that locates Altean technology, like Lance's bayard and Shiro's suit, and use it to track them down."

Hunk didn't point out that Altean technology, such as the distress beacons and translation devices, was everywhere and would make tracking down two specific devices difficult. Instead, he picked her up, saying, "Bed, now."

"I'm not a child, Hunk," Pidge whined childishly, wiggling in an attempt to get him to drop her.

"Sure, we'll go with that, but even full grown adults need sleep. You'll be more effective at looking for them once you've slept."

Pidge seemed to consider that, before sighing and muttering, "Fine," and stopped wiggling.

It was short work for Hunk to get her to her room, and she was passed out before he even left.

He was walking back to the work area to clean up when he heard the familiar sound of Keith training.

He peeked in, considering telling him to go to sleep, before sighing and just leaving. Keith didn't respond well to being told to sleep, especially since he was struggling to be the responsible one. Hunk didn't feel like being on the receiving end of Keith's temper. Unlike Lance, he preferred not to rile up a guy who always had at least one blade on his person.

Things hadn't been good since Shiro vanished, and Lance leaving had made things worse. They thankfully hadn't needed Voltron yet, but there was the terror of knowing that they wouldn't have Voltron if they needed it.

That wasn't the only problem. Allura struggled to work with the Blue Lion, unable to unlock the ice blaster or sonic cannon like Lance had. Keith was now yanked back to the starting point with his relationships with the others. He and Pidge were constantly at each other's throats, because Pidge wanted to make finding the lost Paladins a priority and Keith was saying they needed to take down the last of the Galra's strongholds now that Zarkon was dead. Allura was pulling herself in every direction, trying to work with the Blue Lion and track down their next target and use wormholes, taking on the responsibilities of the Blue Paladin as well as her original ones.

The team was falling apart, and it was all Hunk could do to try and help with the little things. Trying to keep himself from crumbling under the worry that maybe Lance really was dead, that his best friend was gone and there was nothing he could do.

* * *

Everyone was in the control room when a screen pulled up, indicating someone was calling them. Allura looked at the other Paladins before answering, revealing two very familiar faces.

"Hello," Rolo said, giving a little wave. Hunk scowled at them, remembering the last time they dealt with them well.

"What is it you two want?" Allura asked aggressively. Hunk could understand it. This two proved not to be trustworthy, and nobody was in the mood to deal with them.

"We've got information for you," Nyma explained. "First, we were hoping to let you know that Prince Lotor has been located by the Empire to take over for Zarkon. He promises to be more active and to take revenge for Zarkon's death."

Hunk looked at Pidge and Keith with confusion before seeing a very disgusted and uncomfortable look on Allura's face.

"I recall Lotor quite well, though I wish I didn't," Allura admitted. "And?"

"We can confirm that Lance is alive."

"He is?!" Pidge asked, on her feet in moments.

Hunk's eyes narrowed. "And why should we trust you? What proof can you offer us?"

"We were stranded on an abandoned moon when he and a companion of his detected our beacon and came to help us," Nyma explained. "He shouted loudly when he saw us, and gave a vague explanation of why we were untrustworthy to his friend before explaining he didn't want to talk about how we got the Blue Lion."

"...Alright, I believe you." Lance was spectacular at holding grudges, and he'd certainly try to save face. "Companion?"

"There was someone with him," Rolo explained helpfully. "He was the one who agreed to transport us to a refugee camp to help us out. He didn't know what ticks were, oddly enough, but he mentioned they were going to be trying to get your attention."

"Why are you helping us?" Keith asked, still suspicious.

Nyma and Rolo looked at each other, before Nyma said, "We were asked by them to spread the word that he was alive. But we decided to just contact you directly since people still haven't heard from you since we saw Lance. Without Lance, you can't form Voltron, and without Voltron you won't be able to get rid of the Galra Empire. So, this is just letting you know that Lance is trying to get you to find him."

"Take our word for it or not," Rolo added, "but we appreciate that you've killed Zarkon. We just want to be done with the Galra Empire, just like you."

They disconnected.

Allura took a deep breath, before turning around. "Alright. Look through all the systems. Look for anything that is out of place. With-" She scowled. "-Prince Lotor running the Empire, we'll need to locate Lance and soon."

The three Paladins nodded and pulled up their screens, getting to work.

* * *

"Found it!" Pidge called. She turned to Allura and asked, "Pull up the map showing all distress beacons."

Allura did so, and Pidge added, "Now show only the beacons deactivated in the last twenty quintants, since Lance first left."

There were a few scattered lights, but in one small area, they was a small line of beacons deactivated. Hunk's eyes immediately landed on it.

"Now remove ones that we responded to."

The line of lights was all that remained. Four beacons.

Pidge grinned. "Lance was trying to get our attention by handling distress beacons."

Pidge zoomed in on one end of the line. "Abandoned ruins on a moon, where Nyma, Rolo, and Beezer must have been stranded when Lance and his friend picked them up." Then she zoomed in on the second. "Daxus, home of the Daxi."

Allura immediately pulled up a screen, connecting to the Daxi.

An alien with midnight blue fur was on screen, holding a small child who was the same color. Another alien stood respectfully behind her.

"Voltron?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm surprised to hear from you."

"We noticed your beacon had gone out and were concerned," Allura explained.

The queen smiled, hugging her child close. "My daughter was kidnapped by the Galra a year ago, preventing us from retaliating. The Blue Paladin, Lance, and his friend got her out of there. We have already eliminated the Galra threat here."

"They are honorable, if a little strange," the soldier in the back added. "They wished for us to let you know the Blue Paladin was alive, but we didn't know how to contact you."

"How was Lance?" Hunk asked, concerned.

The queen answered, "In good health. He and his friend removed my daughter safely and no harm came to any of them. When you find him, do thank him again for us? Without him we would still be under Galra control."

"We will," Allura promised. "Thank you, your majesty." The footage cut off and Pidge located the next beacon in the line.

"Freedas."

Allura opened up communication, and a reptilian face appeared on the screen.

"I am Princess Allura. We noticed your beacon was out and wished to know the circumstances?"

The alien smiled (?) and explained, "The Blue Paladin got rid of the Galra general and many of the soldiers that were on our planet, allowing us to handle the rest of them in the panic. His friend was minorly injured but otherwise everything went fine. He wished for us to let you know he is alive."

Allura nodded, thanking them before closing the screen. Pidge moved on to the final beacon and blinked, surprised.

"Arus?"

Allura pulled up the screen fast, but nothing answered.

The others looked at each other, about to panic, when Allura came across something.

"A recorded message was sent from Arus six quintants ago."

She played it, and everyone gasped at the sight of Lance's face, an awkward smile on his face.

"... _Hey guys_ ," Lance began, smiling. " _It's me. I'm alive! Great, right? I'd ask how things are with you but, well, you can't really respond. We can only get one last message out of this. Might as well make the most of it and stop rambling I guess. Limited time and all that. So, lets just stick to the basics..._ "

* * *

" _I'm running out of time for the message. Just...please come if you can. See you guys._ "

The video ended on Lance's forced smile, and there was a moment of deafening silence before everyone started talking.

"Shit, we've got less than a quintant before they leave Arus!"

"How fast can we wormhole over there?!"

"We should get a pod ready! Lance understates his own injuries sometimes and he could be hurt himself!"

"Changing lions was a terrible mistake!"

Everyone was already sorting out what they needed to go retrieve Lance when a screen activated, and a Galra face shocked them.

"Hi, this is Desno," the Galra began, waving awkwardly. "I am leading a resistance effort against the Galra Empire in an attempt to release prisoners and reunite families. We received intel that the Black Paladin was found and is currently being held at these coordinates we just transferred to you. We also transferred documents from Galra computers to confirm. We are willing to offer assistance in retrieving him if required."

Everyone was silent, and she blinked before asking, "Was this a bad time? I wanted to let you know as soon as possible because the documents detail that he is injured. I understand if you don't particularly trust me. I did tell Saris that it would be better if they relayed this message, since they aren't Galra, but they were like, 'No, they should meet our leader and arrange this with you.' I could transfer you to them if you'd prefer-"

"It's fine," Allura quickly assured the rambling rebel. "How much time do we have?"

"I'm not sure. The documents do not give the full scope of his injuries. I believe that the sooner we get him out of there, the healthier it'll be for him. I can arrange a team to meet with you there, in order to assist in the escape. I will not include any of our Galra members if having any Galra with you on that mission is going to be a problem?"

Allura looked at the others, all midway through preparing to get Lance, and looked at Desno, asking, "Can you give us a few ticks to discuss this?"

"Alright. I've given you the information needed to contact us. Please call us back when you are ready. I'll try and arrange a team during that time." The screen vanished, and it was silent again.

Finally, Keith stood, his face determined.

"We are going to get Shiro," he decided, his voice stern and reminiscent of Shiro's commanding tone.

It was Pidge who asked, "What about Lance?"

"He's not a priority."

Hunk guessed that he must have been stressed. Because those words set him off.

"Not a priority?!" he shouted, surprising Allura and Pidge. "Lance is our friend! Why are we talking about priorities when this is an actual person who needs us to come get him?!"

"Shiro is injured, Hunk. Lance has proven that he can defend himself and at this point we have to assume that Shiro isn't going to be capable of doing so. We need to get him out and then we'll worry about Lance."

"But Lance-"

"We are getting Shiro first and that is final!" Keith shouted, temper reaching its breaking point.

Hunk scowled, and said in a dark tone, "You know, this is why Lance left. Because it seems like none of us give a shit about him unless it is convenient."

Keith exploded.

"You think I wanted him to leave?!" he shouted, getting in Hunk's face. "You think I wanted to take him away from his Lion, or take a suicide mission?! I didn't even want to become the fucking leader! I didn't want to have to be in charge or worry about strategy or all that shit! I am just trying to do what my brother wanted and I don't want to admit that he was wrong and I can't fucking do this!"

Hunk stepped back, eyes wide.

Keith was breathing heavily, the only sound in the silent room. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, before speaking. "Shiro is hurt and alone and needs our help way more than Lance does. Lance has proven that he can handle himself, and we know that he isn't alone. The moment we get Shiro back and he is okay, we'll find Lance. And we'll all go back to the right Lions."

He turned to Pidge. "Keep an eye on the beacons. Monitor Lance's activity and try to see if you can predict his next location."

Pidge nodded silently, and Keith turned back to Hunk.

"He'll be alright," Keith promised, almost more to himself than Hunk. "He'll be alright, but Shiro might not be if we don't get to him soon. We have to trust that Lance can handle himself for a bit longer, okay?"

Hunk wasn't happy, but he reluctantly nodded. "Fine."

He wasn't happy, but he trusted Lance. He just hoped that Keith was right.

Allura immediately contacted Desno, asking, "What's the plan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been in my mind since I figured out how Lance was going to get their attention. This also means that nope, the story isn't over yet. Matt and Lance are still not done with their adventures.
> 
> Desno is pretty much the name I choose for all OC Galra. If you recall, in my story [A Love There Is No Cure For](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10074170), the leader of the resistance Matt was working for was led by a Galra named Desno. Honestly, I kind of consider that story to be an alternate version of this story, where Keith stopped Lance from leaving just in time. This connection between the two stories will also be touched on in later events.
> 
> This story has so far been so much fun to write, and while it isn't over yet, it is at least over halfway done. I'm so glad for you guys who stuck with this story, despite the erratic uploading schedule and long periods of time where I am just debating with myself over how these chapters will go. I hope that I continue to make something you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.
> 
> I'll try and update every week, but there are no guarantees. For now, I hope you have a nice day.


	12. Sing Away Your Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now time for a bit of a breather.

Matt was arranging the supplies in the ship, careful not to pull on his wound. It was no longer in serious danger of killing him, but he didn't want to risk reopening it and ending up worse off.

He looked outside of the ship, where Lance was staring at the sky, waiting for the ship that wasn't going to come.

Matt didn't need to tell Lance that, despite staying an extra day, it didn't seem that they had been noticed by the Castle, and the Paladins weren't coming. Lance knew that. But he still looked hopeful that maybe they were just late. So Matt didn't push him, instead focusing on loading the supplies the Arusians had supplied.

His suit had been fixed with an adhesive that he had been given along with the suit, designed to give an airtight seal to damaged suits to avoid replacing them. Which was good, because Matt didn't have time to get a new suit, and the Arusians were not space-faring.

Matt finally finished packing and looked at Lance.

"It's time to go."

Lance sighed, a touch sadly, and nodded. "Alright." There was no more stalling to be done. Voltron was not coming to get him, so they would keep going like they had decided to. So Lance waved to the Arusians as he got into the ship, sitting in his seat and focusing on the controls.

"We can stay and wait for them," Matt reminded.

Lance shook his head, promising, "I'm fine. I'm a Paladin of Voltron. I'm supposed to help people. And that's what I want to do."

Matt nodded, and he looked out at the waving Arusians as they headed off, ready to find a beacon and save the day all over again.

* * *

Matt was humming to himself as he looked through the updated screens, sorting through the info. He then noticed Lance looking at him oddly and gave a questioning look.

"I recognize what you are humming, but I can't quite figure out what it is," Lance explained to Matt.

"Oh." Matt shrugged and began to sing, " _Some...say I have no direction. That I'm a light speed distraction. That's a knee-jerk reaction._ "

Lance's fave lit up and he began to sing along.

" _Still...it's the final frontier. Everything is so clear. To my destiny I steer._ "

" _This life in the stars is all I've ever known_ ," Matt continued, grinning broadly. " _Stars and stardust in infinite space is my only home._ "

Together, they sang, " _But the moment that I hit the stage, thousands of voices are calling my name. And I know in my heart it's been worth it all of the while. And as my albums fly off of the shelves, handing out autographed pics of myself. This life I chose isn't easy but sure is one heck of a ride._ " Then Matt dialed it back and let Lance sing.

" _At the moment that I hit the stage, I hear the universe calling my name! And I know deep down in my heart I have nothing to fear. And as the solar wind blows through my hair, knowing I have so much more left to share. A wandering spirit who's tearing its way through the cold atmosphere._ "

Matt sang, " _Fly like a comet._ "

Then Lance continued, " _Soar like a comet._ "

" _Crash like a comet._ "

Then together, " _I'm just a comet._ "

The two grinned at each other, fistbumping as they finished.

"You sure do sing and hum a lot," Lance observed aloud, seeming curious. "What got you into music?"

Matt shrugged. "It was a bit strange. I tried piano when I was younger, but after two weeks of horrendous lessons I ended up ragequitting. We needed a fine art credit in my high school though and so I chose choir since it seemed the easiest and I suck at instruments. But because of that, I found myself not only enjoying singing, but getting training. I was even part of the college choir.

"Katie also got involved in music, but she preferred instruments. It was a challenge for her in the way school never was and computers had stopped being. She knows keyboard, bass guitar, and was planning on learning how to play the drum kit."

Lance seemed impressed. "I didn't know Pidge could do that.

"She probably hasn't had much chance to show off. What about you?"

"My family always loved music," Lance explained. "I actually learned guitar when I was in middle school. I really enjoyed playing." Lance looked a bit sad in that moment, and Matt sympathized with that.

He began humming another song, and Lance blinked before grinning.

" _Isn't this such,_ " Lance began to sing, " _a beautiful night, woah-oh. We're underneath a thousand shining stars._ " He gestured out the window at the space outside. " _Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Woah-oh! Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?_

" _Look at this place. Look at your faces. I've never seen you look like this before. Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Woah-oh! Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?_ "

" _Look at this place,_ " Lance continued, and Matt joined in for the next line. " _Look at your faces!_ " Lance, alone, went on, " _They're shining like a thousand shining stars. Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different? Woah-oh! Why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are?_

" _Why don't you let yourself just be somewhere different? Woah-oh! Why don't you let yourself just be whoever you...are?_ "

Matt applauded. "Nice job." Lance gave a mock bow before the two laughed.

"Thanks, man," Lance said, smiling.

"No problem. Singing always makes me feel better."

* * *

Lance was asleep on the pallet, Matt very much awake.

He hummed to himself, a quiet reassurance, as he thought about leaving Arus.

Voltron hadn't come in response to their message. That could mean many things. It could mean that they weren't paying attention and hadn't noticed the message. It could mean they were hurt. It could mean they were captured. It could mean they were dead.

The thing that scared him the most was maybe they saw it and chose not to come.

It wasn't realistic. Katie had proven she didn't give a damn about what obstacles were in the way when her family was missing. She would come for her friend. What little Matt knew about Hunk and Keith told him that they wouldn't ignore the plea for them to come. He didn't know anything about Princess Allura or Coran at all, but Lance had never given any indication that they would do something so callous as just decide not to retrieve a stranded teen.

But it was a possibility, albeit an unlikely one, and on the off chance that was the case, he didn't want to think about how terribly that would affect Lance. He already seemed to have issues with his self worth, no thanks to the Garrison or Iverson. It would crush him.

There had to be a reasonable explanation for why they hadn't come.

He was certain of it.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a beep. A distress beacon.

"Lance. It's time to land."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter!
> 
> Honestly, I am churning out a lot of chapters after a while without an update. I hope that makes up for it.
> 
> I finally got them to do some singing together! Someone requested it way back when I did the Strawpoll and I finally got it in here. The songs are both from Steven Universe, because that show has made such a huge impact on my life and the music is fucking fantastic. The first one was "Comet" from "Story For Steven," and the second is "Be Wherever You Are" from "Island Adventure."
> 
> I'm spoiling you guys with three chapters in such a short period of time. Hopefully I won't take too long for the next chapter. Since I've decided I'm just going to ignore anything revealed about season 3 after the Matt leak in this story, the only reason I really have to finish soon now is because of a huge project (I'll probably talk a bit about it on Tumblr) that I'm starting on late July/early August. Wish me luck!


	13. I'd Call This The Calm Before The Storm, But That Would Be Inaccurate

Matt checked the screen as Lance approached the planet, saying, "Oxygen levels are just low enough to kill us without our masks, so masks need to stay on while we're here."

"Got it," Lance said, pulling his mask on. Matt followed suit, checking to make sure it sealed before they exited the ship.

Outside the ship were scale-covered aliens, slightly shorter than Matt. Their colors varied from turquoise to indigo according to what Matt had read. They were called the Harwen. They apparently had hidden wings too.

So cool.

Lance began, "I am the Blue Paladin of Voltron. My friend and I saw your distress beacon and wanted to see what we could do to help." Lance removed his bayard, allowing the leader of this group to investigate it.

The leader nodded with approval, saying, "We'll take you to our council. They can explain everything."

The group led the two towards a large building in the center of the city, with civilians occasionally looking at them with interest. Lance waved to a couple of small children, who giggled and ran off.

They were let in and brought to a huge room, where the council sat on elevated seats that were extremely imposing. Matt felt a bit unnerved, but thankfully his mask didn't let the Harwen council see.

Lance stepped forward and asked, "What is the problem?"

The council member in the center began, explaining, "The Galra have given us an ultimatum. Either we surrender and give them our greatest scientific minds, or they hit us with a super weapon. We have managed to stall for months, but it is imperative that the super weapon is sabotaged, which would allow us to fight against the Galra without putting our civilians in unnecessary danger."

Matt grinned. This was his territory.

Lance didn't even look his direction before saying, "My friend is a technological genius. I'm certain we'll be able to sabotage that weapon. Do you have any details about it that we need to know?"

Another council member pulled up a screen, and a larger one appeared before Lance and Matt.

"One of our scientists went rogue," that council member explained. "He believes we are unaware of his activities with the Galra. He has assisted in the design of the weapon, and one of our spies has retrieved the schematics from his home. We have not arrested this scientist out of fear that the Galra will fire, but we will once we are certain the device isn't operational."

Matt looked over the blueprints, analyzing them before noting, "If the energy source is cut off, the weapon won't fire if they attempt to do something. I could use a virus to trick the computers into thinking the device is still running, and I'll see if we can completely remove the energy source, or if not then make sure it can't be reconnected. Lance, you can disconnect that while I work on the virus."

Lance nodded and gave a mock salute.

"We will take you part of the way to the ship holding the weapon, but we can not take you the whole way or they will fire. Do not let them catch you until after you've sabotaged the weapon. Once you have returned with confirmation that it is no longer operational, our forces will take over and attack."

* * *

Matt and Lance got inside quickly and split off, Matt to the main computers and Lance to hide and wait for directions.

Matt shocked the Galra inside the control room unconscious and hid his body, activating the computer and pulling up the map.

"Okay, the device is down the hallway to your left. There are these drone-like things guarding the hallway, but-" He did some typing and the pyramid-like drones on camera started glowing orange light. "now they all work for me. Just a temporary measure of course. Now, get down there."

He watched a dark blue silhouette go down the hall and into the room where the main body of the device was held.

"Okay, now what?" Lance asked quietly.

Matt checked and said, "Two guards are at the location of tge energy source. Get a good vantage point and snipe them so we can avoid a confrontation."

"Alright."

The dark blue silhouette made its way up to a catwalk before vanishing. Matt turned his attention back to the guards and watched as both were quickly shot down in one hit each, the second not even able to react before collapsing from being hit.

Matt was never going to stop being impressed at Lance's shooting skill.

"The camera don't give me a good look at the energy source, so you'll have to describe it to me," Matt told Lance, who approached the energy source and examined it carefully.

"It's a glowing purple liquid," Lance observed. Then he snapped his fingers, saying, "It's the modified form of quintessence. The Druids turn quintessence into this stuff."

"...What the fuck is quintessence?"

Lance sighed. "Never mind. Anyway, this stuff will be hard to remove from the ship without us getting noticed, and while quintessence is better than safe, I don't know about this modified stuff so I can't just break the container."

Matt considered it before saying, "We'll have to take it with us. We can give it to the Harwen to analyze. We'll just have to be careful."

"Alright," Lance answered. "Let me know when I can disconnect."

Matt shut off communication, looking at the system before pulling a tiny chip drive from his pocket and putting it into the computer. Then he got to work, changing the target of the program warning about functionality from the weapon to the chip.

With that, he turned on his communicator again and said, "According to my schematics, the energy source works kind of like a battery. Just slide it out of there and we'll be off. Once we meet up, I'll carry it so you can shoot."

Lance slipped the container out and asked, "Are there other containers of this stuff on board?"

Matt checked the system. "Nope. Apparently this stuff has a long shelf life, so they didn't need more than one. That's good for us." Matt deactivated the computer and said, "I'm off. I'll meet you at the end of the hallway."

He was out the door and just barely beat Lance to the place, taking the thankfully small container of liquid and heading for their exit, Lance leading the way.

Matt was halfway out when the alarms started blaring, and he grinned under his mask, snorting.

Lance looked at him and he explained, "New record."

* * *

The scientists stared at the container with interest, bit confused.

"Lance said it was modified...quin...quin-" Matt struggled to recall the complicated name.

"Quintessence," the head scientist explained. "Life energy. Corrupted by the Galra to use as power. It is rare to find this in liquid form. The Druids are masters of manipulating quintessence, but to get it in the form needed to actually modify it in this way, you'd have to physically draw it from a lifeform. I didn't think Druids were that powerful."

Matt shuddered at the thought. "Wouldn't drawing the life energy from something...kill it?"

"No one has ever managed getting any out of a lifeform before the Galra. I do not know what would happen." The scientist looked over the container, adding, "If the Galra are using this as power, researching it will potentially give us a chance to cripple their power supply. I am sure the council will be more than happy to share our findings with Voltron...um."

"Matt Holt," he answered, causing the scientist to nod.

* * *

Matt returned to the council room to find Lance still talking.

"All I ask is that, if you get in contact with Voltron, you let them know we are alive and looking for them."

"Are you certain?" a council member asked. "We would be willing to pay you handsomely in GAC."

Lance shook his head, assuring them, "All I want is to get back to my friends. Helping you all is honestly a bonus for me."

Another member promised, "Our people will do our best to get in contact with Voltron and inform them you were here. Your assistance was very much appreciated, Blue Paladin."

* * *

Lance relaxed in his chair, suggesting, "You should get some sleep. I can hold up the fort."

Matt yawned, his sleepless night catching up with him, and admitted, "Some sleep does sound nice. You'll wake me up the minute something happens, right?"

"Promise."

Matt nodded and moved from his chair to the pallet. It would be good to get some sleep. He was dead tired and honestly would like nothing more than to be well-rested before the next beacon. Just a few...hours...

The beeping came just as his eyes closed, and he groaned and sat up. Lance looked equally annoyed, glaring at the ship's computer with irritation.

"Another beacon already?" Lance asked with exasperation as Matt sluggishly plopped into his seat, glaring at his screen before sighing.

"Nope," he muttered, yawning again. "Someone is trying to contact us. Wish they had waited a few hours." He ignored Lance's confused look, instead focusing on the task at hand. He pulled up the screen and answered.

A Galra face appeared, shouting, "Holt!"

Welp, he sure was awake now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Matt. He just wanted to sleep.


	14. Storm Was An Exaggeration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going on?

Matt just sat in his seat, waiting patiently for the rant to conclude. Lance looked at the sight with a mixture of concern and fear, clinging to the armrests with surprise.

Matt couldn't blame him. Wasn't every day your friend was on the receiving end of a scolding from a Galra.

"I told you to stay on planet until we got information, but noooo! You had to go off and make this whole thing more difficult! I had to track down who provided you with a ship, track you down over a good stretch of the universe, all because you changed you mind and didn't bother to inform me!"

Matt sighed, before interrupting, "Desno, if I apologize, will you stop? You're scaring my friend."

Desno blinked, then seemed to notice Lance. She immediately calmed down, saying, "Oh! Sorry. I'm Desno. I'm the leader of the resistance force that broke out Holt. I was just a bit...annoyed with him. I hope I didn't alarm you too much."

"It's fine," Lance assured, easily recovering. "I can head to the storage area if you need privacy for this?"

"You don't have to."

"I'd recommend it."

Matt and Desno looked at each other oddly after their simultaneous answers, before Lance shrugged and said, "Call me when you guys are done. He headed back, shutting the door to the storage area.

"He looks young. Why are you two traveling together?"

Matt sighed. "It's a long story. So, what's up?"

"First," Desno began, her anger returning a bit but not to the point of shouting, "I'd like to know why you didn't contact me before leaving the planet? I am fine with you changing your mind or something like that, but I couldn't contact you for a long time."

Matt sighed. "I thought...if I told you I'd changed my mind, you'd insist I join your rebellion. And I wanted to focus on finding my dad."

"Holt, I told you from the moment you came to our base that you weren't obligated to work with us. It was merely an offer. Our primary goal is not to face the Galra directly, in which case we'd need the numbers. Our goal is to release prisoners and reunite them with their families. Your skills with technology and computers would have been valuable to us, but we'd be no better than the Empire if we forced you to work for us. Since you didn't realize that, I'll forgive you this time."

"Uh, thanks I guess?" Matt said, raising an eyebrow. "So, did you only contact me to chew me out?"

"What?"

"Um...scold me? Sorry, human expression."

"No." Desno pulled a screen and explained, "We located where your father is being held, Holt. He's in the same prison you were going to be sent to. I was planning on sending a team there to retrieve him and the other prisoners there, but hearing if your recent activities led me to contact you first, to see if you'd rather do the jailbreak yourself. Or, if you'd like, work with us to release him and the other prisoners."

Matt blinked, surprised, and suddenly he felt hopeful. More hopeful than he had in a long time. "Do you know if he is okay? I thought he was at a work camp?"

Desno looked at her screen. "Your father is in good health, though suffered minor injuries in the events that led to his transfer. Apparently, he participated in a riot at his camp and hacked three of the bots to get them to work on the rioters' side. He was transferred to this prison for being dangerous, but valuable." She looked at Matt and raised an eyebrow. "Sound familiar?"

"Well, Dad at least did something useful with them."

Desno took a deep breath, before admitting, "There was a recent order, sent by Prince Lotor himself, to execute all prisoners who, if released, could prove useful to the Empire's enemies. We intercepted it, but if he realizes that no one has acted accordingly..."

"Dad..." Matt whispered, suddenly terrified.

"We need to hurry this mission up," Desno continued, her voice deadly serious. "It's a high security prison, not as much as Beta Traz of course, but I'm certain you can get us in. Or you could do it yourself if you want. I've heard a bit about your escapades. I'm certain you could manage."

Matt remembered their current mission, and suddenly the decision became daunting. Lance was heartbroken that Voltron hadn't come for them. This would set them wildly off course from their current path.

"I'll need to talk about this with Lance first," Matt answered. 

Desno sighed. "Okay. I'll send you all the information you'll need. Contact me when you've made a decision." She muttered, "Why is everyone always making me wait?" before cutting off contact.

Matt took a deep breath, before calling out, "Lance!"

The boy made his way into the cockpit, asking, 'So what was it she needed to talk about?"

"She located my dad."

Lance blinked, then grinned. "That's great! So, are we going to rescue him or has she already handled that? I've heard many stories from Pidge, and it'll be pretty cool to meet him."

Matt took a deep breath.

"It'll...it's way off our current course, Lance," he admitted. "If we go, Voltron might not be able to find us. Getting them to find us could take even longer. I didn't want to make the decision of going without asking if you're okay with this."

Lance froze, his face falling before he tamed it into a calm expression.

"We'll get your dad," Lance decided.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "He deserves to get out of his prison. Besides, I know he'll be happy to see you, and you'll be happy after you've gotten him out of there. When do we go?"

Matt smiled, saying, "I'll ask Desno. Thanks, Lance. I owe you one."

"No problem, man. I know you'd do the same if it were my dad. Besides, I'd be experimented on by Haggar right now if it wasn't for you, so we'll call it even."

Matt smiled, then called Desno back, saying, "We'll work with your people on this. Where should we meet?"

"There is a moon near by the prison," Desno explained. "The team I'm sending will meet you there to discuss strategy. The prison map and your father's prisoner records have been sent to you, along with the location of the moon. I'll be in contact with you and the team there. Let me know if you need any supplies. Will Lance be assisting?"

"He's a great shot, and a talented pilot," Matt told her, ignoring Lance's surprise. "After we're done, I'd like to ask for a favor to help him out?"

Desno shrugged, saying, "Let me know afterwards and I'll see what I can do. You two get some rest before meeting us there, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks Desno."

"Not a problem. See you then."

* * *

Matt was nearly asleep when he heard Lance hum to himself, before noting, "Huh, that does actually make me feel better." Then he quietly began to sing.

"Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust. Take a moment to think of just, flexibility, love, and trust."

Matt gave a sad sigh, before shifting slightly and allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Matt's finally going to get his dad! Also, Desno returns! Remember what I said about that other story I wrote being a sort of alternate timeline? Well, here is another deviation from that.
> 
> I should probably slow down, but the end is near and I'm honestly trying to tie up anything that needs finishing before the big project I've got coming. It is going to involve a lot of writing. A lot. It's going to be the longest thing I've ever written. I'll try and explain that on Tumblr sometime in the future.
> 
> Wish me luck, folks!


	15. Shit, Is This A Climax? (I Honestly Can't Tell)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I don't even fucking know~~

Lance reached the moon just as Matt finished going through the map and all the records, a plan already coming to mind. He didn't want to finalize the details until he saw who Desno assigned to work with them on this mission.

The other ship was already there, and two armored figures were sitting outside, tablets pulled up. Matt, confirming a safe atmosphere, grabbed his mask and headed out of the ship, followed closely by Lance.

The two figures looked up, before removing their masks and grinning.

"Holt! Didn't think we'd be seeing you again!" The first, a feminine alien with raspberry-colored feathers on her face and longer, darker ones slicked back from the edge of her face, grinned.

"Good to see you," the other, a reptilian one that reminded Matt of the Argonians from Skyrim added.

Matt smiled, saying, "Hey Cala, Xyna. Just you two?"

"Desno decided that she didn't want a team larger to four to break in, since that increases the risk of us getting noticed," the first explained. "Our skill sets apparently balance out yours too. Plus we know you slightly better." Her attention turned to Lance and she smiled, saying, "I'm Xyna, and she is Cala. We were the ones to break Holt out."

"Against orders," Cala helpfully added, sharpening her sword. "Desno just sent us on an information retrieval mission. In and out."

"We found Holt on board, the only prisoner, and the records explained he was going to be transferred to a high security prison and tortured for information about technology. It was a decision that saved a life."

"I do guess a life is worth the months of toilet duty we only narrowly avoided."

Lance looked at Matt, raising his eyebrow.

"Don't worry too much. These two are apparently a couple if the best of Desno's forces." Matt turned his attention back to them. "How is Saris dealing?"

"Poorly, as always," Cala answered, snorting. "They are trying to pass a lot of their responsibilities back to Desno, to focus on their actual job of translating the information retrieved. But Desno's species does mean that Saris does have to act as a go-between. Some of our more...spirited members find it easier to listen to Saris than a Galra. Understandable, but still."

"One mission a while back Saris quite nearly had to tie Desno to her chair to take care of. The contacts were top secret, but according to Saris, Desno was of the firmest belief that they would be even less excited about working with a Galra than most are. Thankfully everything went well."

"Oh, Saris brought a present. Felt it was more your style." Xyna tossed Matt a staff, saying, "Saris is weird like that. Desno likes them a lot though."

"Speaking of Desno..."

"Right, we should probably contact her and start putting together a strategy," Xyna noted, laughing sheepishly. She set a device on the ground and a pair of holoscreens appeared, Desno's face appearing.

"Good, you're all here. Now, let's put together this plan."

* * *

Matt and Lance's ship was shown to be slightly less suspicious, so the four piled inside and Lance carefully directed it to the prison. Once there, everyone put on their masks and Xyna headed out first, using a glowing purple device to slice a hole in the bottom of the ship, allowing them all to head inside.

Matt split off from the group then, heading for the control room. He dodged passing bots and floating pyramid drones, and soon arrived without having once been noticed.

He activated the computer and began pulling up screens, one showing all the camera perspectives he needed to locate Lance, Cala, and Xyna. Grinning, he removed his mask to improve his field of vision before contacting them.

"Alright, I'm in position," Matt whispered. "I'll disable obstacles in your way, though it looks like you'll have to get past a facial recognition system to unlock the proper prison. Individual cells are unlocked by a Galra hand panel, so Lance and his modified glove can handle that." Matt was glad he had gotten time to modify it while in forced bed rest at Arus.

Lance nodded on camera, his face still masked, and the three figures began heading down the way. Matt worked quickly, disabling drones and reassigning bots to places out of there way.

They were in the chamber outside the entrance to the cells when the first camera cut off, gaining Matt's attention.

"What?" he muttered, attempting to pull the feed back up. Nothing. The camera was either damaged or someone had made sure it couldn't reconnect.

"Matt, what's going on?" Lance whispered, getting his attention again.

"...It's nothing. I'll let you know if you need to worry about it. Hide and wait for the warden to come by so you can get a scan of his face."

Lance, sounding unconvinced, said, "Alright then. Be careful."

Another camera cut out and Matt looked at the screens with confusion. Suddenly every camera simultaneously stopped working, leaving a dark screen. Matt was now effectively blind to everything in this prison.

He couldn't warn anyone if something was coming.

"Holt, I got the scan," Cala whispered. "Also, where can I get the suit Lance has? It's super cool."

"Ask Lance."

Matt couldn't reconnect the cameras. But what he could do was work around them. Grinning, he looked through the computer until he found the program he needed, pulling up a map with glowing dots on it.

All the macroscopic lifeforms were indicated on the map. The prison proper was filled with dots, somewhat evenly distributed, which indicated they were all in their cells. He could see three dots outside the entrance, Lance, Cala, and Xyna. He saw a moving dot, following the warden's schedule. He saw himself.

He saw two pairs of dots, one heading towards him and another making their way towards the three outside the cell block.

Matt moved quickly, shutting the door to the control room and locking himself in, putting as many conditions as possible on the door so that only he could open. Then he grabbed his communicator, saying, "Potential hostiles heading your way. I'm going to make the holographic model of the warden's face. You guys be ready to attack if need be."

"Got it, Matt," Lance said.

Matt began working on the model when he got an alert. Someone was trying to use the hand panel, and it was a match. Whoever was out there, they were Galra.

"Haha, nope." Matt held up his middle finger to the door. He checked the other dots on the map, and they were too close to his friends for comfort. He shut a couple of doors between them, noting, "That should delay them a bit."

Both doors were unlocked, implying they were Galra too. Spectacular. They were still getting closer and the model of the warden's face was still not done.

There was a sudden bang on his wall. Matt grabbed his staff, already pointing it threateningly at the door. The banging, however, did not continue. Instead, he noted an attempt to connect a computer to the door. So he quickly applied a firewall, blocking the invading force.

He looked at the model. Not quite done. On the map, the two dots were almost to the room Lance, Xyna, and Cala were inside.

This was getting overwhelming.

"They're almost there guys," Matt warned, and the door to the control room was hit again. "Stay hidden, let Lance handle any hostiles with his rifle, and avoid direct confrontation."

The dots made it into the room, and Matt waited to hear shots fire.

He didn't expect to hear Lance, in a very surprised voice, say, "Keith?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger. I am sorry I'm so terrible.
> 
> But hey! Story is nearing the end, and look who's here! Wonder what's going to happen?


	16. REUNIONS!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So shit happened.

"What?" Matt asked, confused.

"Keith!" There was the sound of shuffling and the pressing of a button before Lance shouted, "Keith!"

"Lance?"

"Lance!" There was the sound of Lance getting the air knocked out of him. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? You aren't injured, right?"

"Can't...breathe...Hunk."

"Oh, sorry! I can't believe you're okay! Well actually I can, but seriously, at least talk to me before leaving in the future!"

"I will. We should get inside and get Commander Holt though. Xyna, Cala?"

"He hasn't sent the face model yet."

Matt blinked, then muttered, "Oh, right!" The model was done, so he sent it to Lance. "I'll get over there as soon as I can, okay? There's something I should handle first. You start letting out prisoners."

He turned off the communicator and turned to the door. If two of the Paladins were with Lance, then...

He turned to the computer, first locking all the escape routes the warden could take out of the room he was currently in to make sure he couldn't get out until long after they were gone. The he set about removing the conditions and unlocking the door. Finally, he heard it slide open behind him.

"Good job, Pidge," a very familiar voice began.

"I-I didn't do that though. It was unlocked from the insi-"

They both went silent, and Matt turned around, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought you were Galra guards. It's um...good to see you?"

It was silent for a moment before the green-armored one lept at him, shouting, "Matt!" The two hugged tightly, and Matt held back tears. He had thought, for so long, that he'd never see his sister again. He had never been so glad to be wrong in his life.

"I should have figured you'd be here," Matt observed.

Katie grinned at him, promising, "I never gave up looking for you two."

Shiro approached, asking, "Should we get to work, Pidge?"

"No need," Matt said, surprising them. "I already sent Lance the 3D model of the warden's face. All we need to do is head over there and meet up with them."

"Lance?!" Shiro and Katie simultaneously asked.

"It's a bit of a long story," Matt admitted, smiling. "I'll tell you guys after we get Dad, okay?"

* * *

The three made it to the jail proper, where Lance was still releasing prisoners, who two Paladins in red and yellow, probably Keith and Hunk respectively, and Xyna and Cala were explaining the situation to.

"Dad!" Katie called, gaining everyone's attention.

There was silence before...

"Katie?"

"Dad!" Matt and Katie ran for the cell they had heard their father's voice from, Matt using his Galra glove to open it up. He shot out of the cell, scooping up Katie into his arms and holding her close. Matt joined, again near tears. Dad was okay. Dad was okay and Katie was here and Matt was with them again.

"Holt!" All three of them looked at Cala. "Um, we should release the others and get them to the escape pods?"

"Right." Matt stood up straight and cracked his knuckles. "Time to get everyone out of here!"

* * *

The Paladins led the way, likely getting caught up with Lance, while Matt, Xyna, and Cala brought up the rear.

"Still wish you'd work with us," Xyna noted. "This mission has gone way smoother than any before. We haven't even seen the warden."

"I locked him in a room. Should find his way out in an hour or so. We won't be here by that time."

"You're only proving my point, Holt." Xyna shrugged. "But I understand. You just found your father and your sister. If I found my mother today, I might not even stay."

"You better keep in contact with us though," Cala added, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "And Desno. She was unholy pissed that you didn't tell her you had changed your mind about staying on planet."

Matt nodded. "My ears are still ringing."

* * *

At the moon, Xyna and Cala took the prisoners onto their ship, bidding everyone goodbye. Then everyone headed for their ships. Sam was riding with Katie, so Matt made the decision to ride with Lance in the ship rather than in a Lion.

Lance seemed a little apprehensive as they flew, and Matt gave him a look, asking, "Everything alright?"

"Do you think the Blue Lion will take me back?" he asked. "What if she preferred Allura? What if Allura doesn't want to give up being the Blue Paladin?"

Matt gave a reassuring smile. "I don't think that will happen. I saw how happy they were to see you. If the Blue Lion rejects you or Allura refuses to let you go back to her, I think Katie and Hunk might genuinely start a riot."

Lance snorted. "I can imagine that."

"I think Keith is happy you're back."

" _Matt_."

"I'm not implying anything," Matt said innocently, implying everything. "I'm just pointing it out."

"Keep talking and I'll _point out_ how Shiro hasn't stopped staring at you since he found you," Lance remarked, grinning devilishly as Matt and his flushed face.

"Rude."

* * *

Matt was a bit in awe of the Castle. It was a ship that was larger than even the Lions, large enough to house five cities it seemed. The thought that only seven people lived in this was shocking. How could anyone ever see all of it?

Inside the hangar were seven people, two people Matt didn't recognize at all. Lance approached the woman with white hair, looking stiff and uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I left," he apologized. "I'm sorry for taking the Blue Bayard. I'm sorry I couldn't do my job and help protect the universe. This is pretty much your whole life and I fucked it up."

"Lang-" Shiro was interrupted by Matt covering his mouth and shaking his head.

Jesus, when had Shiro become such a dad?

Allura crossed her arms, saying, "What you did was irresponsible and worried us unbelievably. We weren't even sure if you were alive."

Lance winced, looking at the floor.

"But, we're just happy you're alive," Allura added, smiling at him. "And, now that you are back, I think I know who you want to see."

Lance looked up, asking, "You mean...?"

She nodded. "I can promise the Blue Lion would like no Paladin other than you."

Matt decided that maybe someone on this ship did know the right thing to say, because Lance straightened up, looking confident again. Then he ran out of the room, a man on a mission.

"You have to tell me everything that happened," Katie said, nudging her brother. "I want to know how you became a badass."

"Are you saying I wasn't always a badass?" Matt jokingly asked, giving her a noogie. She stuck her tongue out at him, but was still smiling, so Matt decided he still won in the end.

"I'd like to know too," Shiro noted, smiling at Matt and making it as though the weight of one Lion was constricting his chest and making it hard to breathe. Dammit.

His dad thankfully saved him, saying, "I want to hear too. I bet it's more interesting than what I was doing." Welp, it seemed like he was trying to give him an out.

"I don't know, Dad," Matt remarked. "Participating in a prison riot and using three of their own bots against them seems pretty interesting to me."

"What?" Katie and Shiro simultaneously said, jaws dropping. Sam and Matt looked at each other and laughed at their faces

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! Reunions! Lots of them! So many!
> 
> Matt and Pidge being little shits who will tease the other for anything but murder anyone who fucks with them is my life.


	17. Things Slow Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on.

Matt was exploring the hallways of the Castle when he found the Blue Lion's hangar. Inside, he could see Lance sitting on the Lion's paw, leaning against the leg with his eyes closed. He looked utterly relaxed. Matt gave a tiny smile, considering going inside for a moment. However, through another entrance, he saw someone else enter.

"Lance?"

Lance's eyes opened and he looked at Keith, asking, "Yeah? What's up?"

Keith looked awkward and uncomfortable as he stood there and admitted, "I just wanted to apologize. The decision to switch up the Lions was honestly a terrible one, and we should have talked with you before we even considered it. And I'm sorry that I was part of the reason you left."

Lance sighed. "Dude, it's okay. You were just trying to do what Shiro wanted you to do. It's not your fault that he didn't realize Allura should be Black Paladin in his place if something happened to him."

There was silence before Keith smacked his forehead. "Oh my god. That makes so much more sense!"

"Yeah! Allura is our leader even over Shiro. It wouldn't be changing our dynamic so much, no one would be trying to bond with a new Lion, and this mess wouldn't have happened. But I guess it is a good thing it happened, since if not, Pidge's brother wouldn't be here."

Keith nodded. "Still, what happened shouldn't have happened, and we should have listened to you."

"It's fine. It's what Shiro wanted. We all know he expects more out of you than the rest of us. So anything, I should be apologizing to your for making your brief stint as leader more difficult."

Matt was getting kind of sick of these two going through this endless cycle of apologies and deflections. It seemed the Blue Lion was too, because Lance tilted his head then burst out laughing.

"What?" Keith asked, confused.

"The Blue Lion basically just said," he began, continuing to snicker, "'You're both idiots so stop apologizing so much."

Keith looked the Blue Lion right in the eyes and, in a deadpan voice, carefully enunciated, "I am sorry."

The Blue Lion flicked her tail in annoyance as Lance laughed, saying, "If I had to translate, I'd say the closest thing in English to what she said is, 'You little shit.'"

Keith snorted, saying, "I'm honored to take the title of little shit again."

As the two laughed, Matt realized he had been eavesdropping for far too long and left, continuing to explore the Castle.

* * *

"So then I start shooting the cube and plants start growing out of it, causing it to stop working. And the Olkari gave me this headband in case I ever needed it!"

"Wow, that sounds quite impressive," Sam remarked, impressed. "Have you tested it on plant life on other planets?"

"Not yet," Katie admitted. "We hadn't had time before handling Zarkon, and then we were trying to find Shiro and Lance. I think now we should do some experimenting with this on the next planet with lots of plants. I want to see if you two can use it too."

"That sounds like fun, Katie."

Matt suddenly remembered. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. Would you rather be called Pidge instead of Katie now? I'm willing to call you whatever you want to be called."

Katie blinked, then shrugged. "Honestly, either is fine. Pidge is sort of a nickname at this point. I still like the name Katie and apply that name to myself. I guess I'm a bit more used to Pidge now, since everyone has been calling me that, but it doesn't make Katie any less my name. So either is fine with me."

"Alright, Pigeon."

"But that is not."

* * *

Matt hadn't worn shorts in almost a year. So finding what was essentially Altean shorts led to a brief debate about whether he could pull them off anymore before deciding that, fashion or his legs be damned, he liked wearing shorts and it wasn't like they were booty shorts or anything.

He borrowed a shirt from Keith, the only person who's clothes he could fit into, and a hair tie from Allura, and was glad that the relatively tame color of the shorts wasn't as vibrant as some of Coran's clothing.

He was sitting in the lounge, working on a project he was doing with Lance for a secret plan when Shiro entered.

"Hey Matt, have you seen..." Shiro's voice died off, and Matt briefly wondered what was wrong before looking down and realizing what Shiro was looking at.

Thanks to the shorts, the scar on Matt's leg was very visible.

It wasn't a pretty scar. It was large and ugly. A combination of the weapon that caused the wound, the lack of treatment, and the skin graft required to properly fix it up at Desno's headquarters led to the state it was in. He had told everyone he got it from his extremely brief stint in the gladiator pits of the Galra, and in a way that was true. But only two people on this ship knew the true story behind that scar, and Matt realized that maybe this wasn't something that he should have ignored for so long.

So before Shiro could turn around and leave, Matt set down his work and said, "I guess it's time we talked about...this."

"I should go-" Shiro avoid his eyes and started to turn to leave.

"Takashi." Shiro stopped, but still didn't look at him. "We can't avoid this. If I can't wear shorts without you able to look me in the eyes then it's time we actually talked about what happened. Because I'm over it but you clearly aren't."

Matt patted the seat next to him. "So, lets talk."

Shiro reluctantly turned, sighing as she sat beside Matt. The shorter boy pulled his scarred calf onto his other thigh, putting the wound front and center.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Shiro said, his expression pained.

"I forgive you," Matt answered simply.

"I know. I just can't understand...why?"

Matt smiled at him reassuringly, saying, "Because you saved my life? Because if I had gone into that ring, we both know I wouldn't have come out alive. Maybe now, I could manage it, but then? Because you put yourself in danger to save my life. Because I thought you were dead and I wasn't going to hold a grudge for something you did to protect me?" Matt shrugged. "Because you may have injured me and gave me this scar, but you probably have more scars from that place than I could imagine. There are a lot of reasons, but all of the basically boil down to you saving my life and trying to get me back to Dad."

"I wish there was something else I could have done," Shiro admitted. "Anything so you wouldn't have that scar. Anything at all."

Matt shook his head sadly. "There wasn't. I know. Part of the reason I broke down in panic was the realization that I couldn't do anything. Besides, if you hadn't hurt me, it only would have delayed the inevitable. It fucking sucked, but I'm alive thanks to you. I'm sure as hell not mad about that. And, since Lance told me that you told Katie what happened but not the others, and the fact that she still talks to you, I'm sure nobody else is either."

Shiro looked at the floor, and Matt rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm okay, Takashi. I'm okay. This scar is honestly not that big of a deal. And I know, it's not going to be easy to get over. But trust me when I saw that I appreciate what you did for me, and that I hold no hard feelings about it. So, can you actually look me in eyes now?"

Shiro looked at Matt, giving a tentative nod, and Matt grinned.

"Thank you," he said, relieved. "Now, who was it you were asking me about?"

* * *

"So we enter the cell and find that the Princess is actually a toddler!"

"Seriously?" Hunk asked, shocked. "I'm surprised you didn't murder someone there."

Lance shook his head. "Oh I considered it. Kidnapping a toddler! That's just going way too far!"

Matt nodded in agreement before taking one of the goo cookies and taking a bite. The flavor was odd, and the texture was kind of weird, but all in all it was not too bad.

"Sorry we couldn't get you sooner," Hunk suddenly said, getting Lance and Matt's attention. He looked sad as he rolled the batter (?) into balls and set them on the cookie sheet (?) for the next batch of cookies. "But Shiro..."

"It's alright, Hunk," Lance assured him. "You guys had to get Shiro because he was injured. If you had been able to check with me, I would have told you to get him first. It was more important to get Shiro."

"You shouldn't have to be put aside to handle something else, Lance," Hunk told him, and Matt realized that Hunk sounded genuinely angry. He wondered if there was something about this that occurred before, because Hunk had no reason to seem so mad right now. "You are just as important as Shiro is. Your needs aren't less important than anyone else's."

Matt nodded in agreement. He liked Hunk, he decided. He wished every one of Lance's friends could be like him. Well not exactly of course. That would be creepy, and Matt had already learned about Hunk's snooping habit from Katie, so the lack of privacy would be an issue.

Lance blinked, then smiled. "Thanks Hunk. Hey, Matt and I actually had a plan for tonight. Would you be interested in participating?"

"...I'm listening."

* * *

"Matt, put me down!"

"Nope. You aren't getting out of this."

"Shiro!"

Shiro raised an eyebrow as Matt hauled his sister into the room, dumping her on the couch next to Hunk, who was excited.

Lance was messing with his cell phone and a device wirelessly connected to it as Allura and Coran sat down on the other side of Pidge, looking intrigued by this plan.

Shiro was sitting on Hunk's other side, while Keith was sitting on the floor. Both sported matching confused looks, for a good reason. Other than Matt and Lance, only Hunk knew what was going on. But they were about to find out.

Sam was sitting in a chair beside the couch, shaking his head at his squabbling children.

Lance finally finished, projecting a dark holoscreen and sitting next to Keith. After making sure the pouting Katie wasn't going to escape, Matt sat next to Shiro.

"So, Lance and I planned this. His phone has all the episodes of a specific show that we all figured you should see. It would be a good bonding activity, and give Allura and Coran a bit more knowledge about human entertainment." Matt looked at Lance and nodded before relaxing next to Shiro.

He looked around and grinned at the scene before focusing his attention on the screen. He had his dad, his sister, and his best friend back. His friend was happy and back with his friends. And while things still weren't perfect and peaceful, he felt hopeful that, one day, he'd get to go home.

Silently, he mouthed along to the lyrics.

" _We...are the Crystal Gems!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, an end to another story. 
> 
> I'm still not quite done with this AU. I've still got ideas and there are some loose ends that need tying up ~~like the relationships tbh~~. So, like I did with Forget Me Not, there will be short stories to go along with this. Whether I put them into a collection or don't and just put them in a series with this story will be determined later.
> 
> Whatever happens, I'll do my best to keep you guys updated...somehow.
> 
> This story is currently the longest work I've ever written. I'm still surprised I got it done. I didn't think it would happen. But you guys all motivated me to work hard and get this done, so thank you all! It was a rollercoaster, and I've gotten an amazing amount of response. A couple writers I really enjoy even commented! So, from the bottom of my heart, **thank you!**
> 
> If you guys have ideas for things I could write in this universe, feel free to ask me on my Tumblr, linked below! I'm all ears.
> 
> Thanks again guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this as I have writing it! Love y'all!
> 
> ~~Forgive me for that "y'all." I am a regretful Texan who can never escape.~~

**Author's Note:**

> Alright then. Take my trash.
> 
> Tumblr is [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com). I post some stuff related to this story using the tag _#this is new_. ~~If you have something to share, send me a link over Tumblr messages, mention me, and/or tag it either _#boopboopitydoop_ or _#vld this is new_~~.


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